Will the “workplace drinking party” culture lost due to the corona crisis be revived after the restrictions on restaurants are lifted? “Drinking party stress” is often discussed in counseling. “Nominication” is a thing of the past, and there seems to be an atmosphere that in-law drinking parties are no longer necessary. Let’s hold down the tricks to smooth workplace communication without borrowing the power of alcohol.
“Drinking parties that you want to resume” and “Drinking parties that do not need to be resumed” after corona
After the state of emergency was declared, restrictions on restaurants were abolished, and in the Tokyo metropolitan area, it was finally possible to drink alcohol inside the restaurants. However, it is not uncommon to hear that even if you hold a drinking party, it will not be as crowded as it was before COVID-19, and there are many meetings that end in about an hour.
Even when the coronavirus has calmed down, there seems to be an atmosphere that does not welcome the revival of “in-law drinking parties” as the background that drinking parties are not as exciting as they used to be.
According to Kirin Holdings (HD)’s “Fact-finding Survey on Drinking and ‘Alhara’ due to Corona” (targeting 1,000 men and women in their 20s to 50s nationwide who drink at least once a month / April 2021) And, the answer to the question about “drinking party that you want to revive after the corona crisis” is “Hanami” in 1st place, “Year-end party” in 2nd place, and “Birthday party” in 3rd place. Many drinking parties tended to be ranked high.
On the other hand, the answers to the question about “even after the corona crisis is over” are “entertainment with business partners” in the first place, “regular company drinking party” in the second place, and “New Year’s party” in the third place. In the “party”, drinking party of “in-law” held through work tended to be ranked high.
From the results of this survey, many people want to cherish the opportunity to drink with family members and people they know well, but on the other hand, there are people who do not want to go to their in-laws’ drinking parties as much as possible even after the coronavirus has subsided. You can see that there are many.
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Is “Nominication” unnecessary? Drinking party stress consultation is a staple of counseling
For many years, it has been said that communication in the workplace requires “nomi-nication .” The idea is that if you talk with the people you work with over a drink, you will be able to understand each other’s personalities and develop a relationship of trust.
The drinking party is a different space from the workplace, and if you drink, you can get to know each other’s sides that are different from usual. On the other hand, you need to be considerate of your in-laws drinking party, you have to be polite to people in a higher position, and you have to be careful how you conduct the conversation so as not to spoil the atmosphere of the place. I have to.
Even in my counseling experience, “drinking party stress” is a common consultation standard. Many people have long wondered why they have to spend hours with their co-workers at their own expense when drinking parties are outside working hours. If you don’t attend, there is a chance that you won’t be recognized as a friend, so there are many people who attend the meeting even though they really don’t like it.
Compulsory participation is alhara! As work progresses, it becomes unpaid overtime
As people’s awareness of drinking parties changes, the “workplace drinking party culture” that was once lost due to the corona crisis may not be revived as it was before. There are more people who want to avoid the unnecessary risk of infection no matter how small the number of infected people is, and people who move to rural areas and continue telework. This is because it may be difficult to have opportunities to drink sake and deepen communication.
In addition, drinking parties held outside of working hours are voluntary meetings, and it is necessary to proceed with daily work regardless of whether or not you participate in drinking parties. If you talk about work at a drinking party, non-participants will be at a disadvantage, and participants may be forced to work overtime. Therefore, it is necessary to be careful not to forcefully invite people by saying, “ Drinking parties are part of work. Everyone should participate.”
In this way, as the benefits of drinking parties fade and the risks increase, I think that the significance of the existence of drinking parties in the workplace is diminishing year by year. On the other hand, communication in the workplace will be emphasized to be smooth through normal work. In the first place, if normal communication seems to pass each other, there is no way that the relationship will improve even if you hold a drinking party.
Tips for facilitating workplace communication during normal work
In order to improve communication in the workplace, it is necessary to improve the atmosphere of the workplace and to be conscious of working while caring for each other. To that end, rather than ending the conversation with business-like exchanges of words, communicate in concrete terms what benefits you have gained and what you have learned from working with the other person. is required.
For example, “Your support the other day was really helpful. I am very grateful.” It will be an act of approval to the employee, and it will be the basis for smooth communication in the workplace.
Even after the transition to the post-corona era, telework and teleconferences will continue, and many workplaces will continue to work while physically distancing themselves from their colleagues. That’s why it’s necessary to close the mental distance while exchanging words of compassion in the course of everyday business exchanges without relying on drinking parties. By all means, let’s be conscious and practice it with your close work colleagues and make communication active in the workplace.