It appears that the age-old tradition of swilling pints after work is being cast aside, as employees are increasingly getting involved in team sport events with other colleagues.
Perhaps this change in culture will reduce hangover rates in the workforce, while also minimising staff absences on a Monday triggered by the shame of talking rubbish to the boss or flirting with the intern during after-work drinks on a Friday.
A study of 396 companies, commissioned by Clubbz.com, has highlighted that two in five companies now provide an after-work sports club to encourage employees to socialise without having to spend money on beer.
Around 19% of work sports clubs are set up to improve fitness levels and 11% are designed to allow members to socialise, while 50% aim to reduce the amount of money staff have to spend on alcohol.
Rob Yorke, co-founder of Clubbz.com, said: “Being a close knit group, I am familiar with the idea of team bonding after work; drinking a few too many pints whilst watching the football and turning in with a sore head the next morning, discussing the evening’s drunken antics and getting less than usual done in the way of work.
“As a company, we are passionate about finding alternative things to do to bring the team closer together. We spend our evenings training for local distance runs or playing giant chess in the middle of the street. Not only do we have lots of fun and raise money for charity, but we have also learnt how to work brilliantly as a team. Getting drunk in a pub may be fun, but it brings very little in the way of productivity to the office.”
