Office happy hours, client dinners and other after-hours work gatherings lose their luster as more people feel the pull of home
Patience for after-hours work socializing is wearing thin.
After an initial burst of postpandemic happy hours, rubber chicken dinners and mandatory office merriment, many employees are adopting a stricter 5:01-and-I’m-done attitude to their work schedules. More U.S. workers say they’re trying to draw thicker lines between work and the rest of life, and that often means clocking out and eschewing invites to socialize with co-workers. Corporate event planners say they’re already facing pushback for fall activities and any work-related functions that take place on weekends.
Many of the companies I’ve worked for had policies that required you to put on your PPE, gather your tools, and be at your station at the time your scheduled to start. This takes approximately 15-20 minutes. And no, we weren’t allowed to leave until relieved by the next person.
Prep time should count as work time, it has anywhere I’ve worked.
And I believe a couple of the companies I’ve worked for have been sued, which is why they pay for prep time. But not all the companies in my industry (oil and gas) do.