There are few things more reassuring in the workplace than a sense of unchanging routine, and when this paper was based in Kensington, one of the most agreeable certainties was that, come Thursday midday, there would be a congenial group of colleagues from various papers gravitating towards the Elephant & Castle. If it was fine, we’d sit or stand outside. Most were men and conversation was easygoing and friendly. I would say that for some of us, the thing served the same purpose as therapy, only much less expensive, more congenial and with drink.
And now, a bossy think tank, the Workplace Foundation, allied to the International Alliance for Responsible Drinking, has issued a report that threatens to bring an end to the fun. It wants the after-work drink to be replaced by breakfast socials, online gatherings and away-days, as being more inclusive. This is so people working from home and non-drinkers, especially the young, don’t miss out.
One of the worst features of remote working is that you don’t establish proper friendships with your colleagues
It observes that “in recent years there has been a shift in attitudes towards the appropriateness of centring workplace social activities outside of working hours or around the consumption of alcohol”.
Is that so? Well, news to the Work Foundation: it is quite possible to have drinks during the working day, at lunchtime, though obviously that’s easier for those of us whose work is mostly done in the mornings. It is also possible to go for drinks with colleagues and not drink. That is to say, you can have a lemonade and no one will think the worse of you. I like a Jameson when I go to the pub — plain, with ice, thank you — but it’s expensive, so I usually go for a lime and soda instead, which is almost as good. “A drink” need not mean “drink”.
The drift of this report points to some sobering trends: the malign effect of working from home, especially on the young, and the general infantilisation of the workplace culture. One of the worst features of remote working — and the civil service seems to do little else — is that you don’t establish proper friendships with your colleagues because you don’t see them. I can’t myself think of anything worse than an “online celebration” with people you never see unless it’s a breakfast gathering with skinny lattes. I must return to the Elephant & Castle… I miss it.
