Employees ditch office happy hours in favor of staying at home after work

foxbusiness.com:

FOX Business’ Madison Alworth speaks with Sean’s Bar and Kitchen owner Sean Reilly on the decline in happy hour attendance.

More U.S. workers are trying to draw a line between work life and personal life.

For many, that means ditching the happy hour and socializing with employees after 5 o'clock. Instead of grabbing a drink with co-workers when logging off, people are racing home to their pandemic puppies-turned-dogs or to cook up meals rather than go out.

«I feel like that kind of made us take a step back and be like, ‘Do I really want to spend this much time with my co-workers after work?’» a New York City pedestrian told FOX Business.

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Corporate event planners say the «flake-out rate» is up, and work-related activities after work or on the weekends are on the decline.

Workers and bosses blame pandemic-related habits such as owning pets and working from home, as well as an overall lack of interest.

One happy hour hot spot in midtown, the corporate hub of Manhattan, told FOX Business that corporate foot traffic is down. Sean Reilly, owner of Sean’s Bar and Kitchen says one of the major indicators about the rollback in work is seeing fewer Brooks Brothers shirts and more casual attire. The window for happy hour is also shrinking.

«Typically, happy hours lasted later pre-pandemic,» Sean Reilly told FOX Business. «Now they’re basically 5 to 6:30, so a lot shorter than they used to be.»

Co-workers talk at a post-work happy hour. (iStock / Getty Images)

Before the pandemic, workers would typically stay until 8:30 p.m.

Meanwhile, Thursday has become the most popular day of the week.

NON-ALCOHOLIC BEER, WINE, SPIRITS