GORDON LIGHTFOOT | Culture
GUILTY AS CHARGED
The “work from home” phenomenon, also known as “flexible working,” has been judged as the cold, calculated killer of Friday work drinks at a Christchurch insurance firm.
Southern Insurance Director Jason Connolly claims flexible working has destroyed both Friday beers and the sense of team culture he once managed to build.
“You’d think people would want to come in on a Friday just for the beers. But no! Too much effort!” said Connolly, exasperated. “Ten years ago there’d be no choice in the matter. Everyone had to be in the office, which meant there was always potential for a good turnout.”
Connolly says the decline was gradual — first a few people working from home “to focus,” then whole teams claiming they could “wrap things up remotely.”
“Sure, there’d be a few skipping it for valid reasons back in the day,” he said. “But at least there’d be people in the building. Now, thanks to bloody flexible working, it’s just me drinking at my desk, staring at a Teams chat full of dog photos.”
Staff deny that culture has died completely, insisting that memes and emoji reactions have simply replaced face-to-face interaction. “We still connect,” said analyst Olivia McKay. “Just asynchronously. I gave Jason’s beer selfie a thumbs-up last week.”
Despite Connolly’s efforts to lure staff back with a variety of alcoholic and non alcoholic options, snack platters and themed Fridays, turnout remains bleak. “We even tried calling it ‘Friday Connection Hour,’” he said. “I got one reply saying, ‘Sorry Jason, working remotely today,’ which apparently means not working at all.”
As for what comes next, Connolly hasn’t given up hope. “Maybe I’ll start scheduling drinks for Tuesday mornings,” he mused. “Need to get creative.”
More to come.
