Is your corporate workplace sociable?

[SociableAtWork]

Posting here for traffic!

Where I work, the majority of people come in for their office days, log on, work and go home with VERY little interaction. It’s an open plan, corporate office (professional services), mix of ages/seniority. I’m mid-senior, late 40s for context.

People will talk in meetings about relevant stuff, and perhaps say ‘hi’ if you’re in the kitchen at the same time and that’s about it. So you could be there and not speak to/be spoken to all day.

I make the effort to chat a bit, but feel it’s not really ‘the norm’ so it’s awkward.

On a WFH day, unless there’s a meeting, I can go all day without talking to anyone from work, and go weeks without speaking to my manager.

I find it a bit miserable to be honest, and wondered if the majority of corporate office environments are like this now. Tempted to move elsewhere if it might be better, but will stay put if they’re mostly the same!

What’s the level of social interaction like where you work? I used to work in a corporate place in the 2000s and it was loads livelier, then moved to smaller less corporate businesses and it was livelier - what’s going on?

Fairly chatty - but it's an events venue, so a fair bit of chat relates to gigs seen, etc.
Fair amount of football - but not remotely interested, so ignore that.
Tends to be chatty on arrival, around breaks rather than constant chat.

Another role I was in recently was less chatty - not unfriendly, but I think it helps that current environment has a more diverse age range - prev org most people were 20-30 years younger than me. Or might just be that prev role was ridiculously busy requiring 50-60 hours a week, making be permanently stressed and pissed off.😎
Charity sector.

A very friendly group, but not everyone says what they truly think, so it's a pity. People couldn't be honest. That said, if they had other reasons, then I can understand, but it's frustrating when you ask permission to do something, and they agree, but then when it comes down to it, they can't or do not want to be honest about what they said versus what they did.

All I wanted was honesty, that said i think their body language gave away alot more of their true feelings vs what they said.

I work in professional services, law. The most interaction I have is with my team and other colleagues I work with on a day to day basis and it is mostly be email because all our work can be done remotely. When I am in the office, people say hi in the corridors and and the kitchen is the social hub for contact with colleague outside the immediate circle of work. People will do light social chit chat, initiated by them or me, and then finish and leave the kitchen. You would have to find someone you click with to go out with lunch with them. There are corporate social events but they are only a few times a year.

I can see that for a younger or more extroverted colleague, it might feel a bit dead. For someone senior and longer in the tooth like me, it suits me down to a T. It is not unusual for law firms, that sort of interaction is quite normal. The big social groups are between the trainees and younger lawyers in the same cohort or secretaries or bigger teams. I know who to ask to get the gossip but generally steer clear.

I mostly work from home but when I go into the office or visit another location it’s extremely sociable. I love it, everyone is nice and I have made some real friends there, but back in the days when I used to work only in-office it was a bit hard to get things done and I sometimes had to close the door in order to get some peace to concentrate.

I’m in a hybrid charity/law position.

We wfh and very rarely meet in person, but when we do, it’s very sociable and chatty.

I know all my colleagues dogs names, about their interests, what they get up to at weekends etc.

Thinking back, the most social chit chat I got was when I worked in the office pre-Covid/WFH in a big team where we were all doing the same work and down in the trenches together, especially if we sat open plan. It also helped to be with a team close in age and young because you want to socialise.

It is different now as it is post-covid + WFH, Gen Z is apparently less into office socialisation, I am more senior with managerial and confidential responsibilities and doing a unique role as well as have a family and busy life outside the office. So pretty burnt out and not wanting to talk to anyone if possible.

You could be describing my office. Hello and goodbye at the end of the day, some light chit chat but nothing more.

Thank you all for the responses. I think I’m maybe in the wrong industry TBH - the lack of interaction isn’t the only thing I struggle with.

Knowing that not everywhere is the same has encouraged me to look for something more suited - I don’t want to be chatting all day, far from it, but would like a bit more of a balance.

Within my team are colleagues who literally don’t say a word all day to anyone and depending on which other team members are in, it can create an unpleasant atmosphere, and feels more like we’re robots than humans.

Thanks again!

Large professional services firm (law). Almost too much socialising tbh. Last week we had after work drinks, next week there is a cake decorating activity, the week after there is an office wide town hall and drinks trolley. I like my colleagues (well some of them!) but the pressure to join in is immense. I’m mid 30s and one of the few that has young DC.

Similar to this, there’s almost too many socials where I work. Something every week. Anything from impromptu after-work drinks in the pub opposite to an invite-only champagne afternoon tea with a client. I’m mid-30s and mid-seniority so I’m very choosy about which events I attend - there’s no pressure to go to anything non-client related, so I often don’t haha.

I fully wfh, but still find it quite social due to the work we do, we end up doing a daily brainstorming session and by the end it tends to just be general chit chat and lots of chatting throughout the day on voice chat

Corporate, professional services (accountancy). Big open plan office and it's too 'sociable' for me. The inane chit chat and banalities about reality TV never stop and it drives me mad. I end up wearing headphones all day to try to drown it out.

Our workplace is pretty social, but it is the “older” colleagues that are more social than the younger ones. We go into the office all together at least once a fortnight and we organise a drink after work if it falls on a Friday. But it does tend to attract a majority of the 30+ age groups.

Awful compared to what it used to be, hardly any interaction at desks because too many sit with earphones in all day. I can go all day and hardly speak to anyone in person.

I am in a similar environment to yours OP.

There are always a few staff that don’t have internet or a wfh set up so they come in daily. Then there are the ones like me that wfh and come in once or twice a week.

I am always ready with a smile and general chit-chat and then prefer to pop my headset on (as though I am on a call), and focus on my tasks. I am not lonely either set-up. It is because I have a very active toddler and a talkative DH, so my time at work is time I can enjoy the quiet of sipping a coffee slowly or a lunch break reading or shopping.

Personally, I've never worked anywhere there was anything more than polite "Morning" and a bit of small talk, and maybe a few people chatting a bit more and knowing a bit more about each other. The only "socials" were the Christmas meal. We were all polite, but really didn't know that much about our co workers and I don't think anyone actively socialised outside work.

My son's workplace is completely different - they actively encourage socialising, i.e. they have a "pizza day" once a month where the firm order in pizzas and encourage everyone in to "socialise" over lunchtime with a free pizza, usually followed by drinks after work. That's on top of what individual teams do - likewise they're encouraged to have a "team" day every month where they go out after work for a "team" meal and drinks. There are also plenty of annual events, such as results day (it's a listed corporate) where they all go in to watch a live stream of the Board on huge TVs giving a run down of the annual accounts, announce the annual bonus, etc in the morning, then have a buffet lunch provided by outside caterers, then it's fun activities all afternoon, followed by a huge meal/drinks after work where they hire a huge venue for a few hundred (that's just the branch he works at, the same happens at all the other branches - around 10 of them all over the UK). The firm really go over and beyond to get the staff socialising. There are no top directors based at his office, but sometimes when a senior director comes up for the day, s/he'll offer to take everyone out and buy them a drink after work which is usually a few dozen people. They really, really, look after their staff!! But it's a work hard-play hard environment, where staff are also expected to work late if they have deadlines or even a weekend a few times per year for quarterly reporting, so it works both ways.

Pretty similar for me, large professional company with hybrid working - I’ve been there a long time so the only people I do anything social with are a few I know from my days in the trenches of the junior roles, but that wouldn’t be everyday. I’ve moved alone departments a few times, so day to day is quite lonely as people sit with headphones in or just keep to themselves and there are no set office days. I tend to go walks at lunchtime rather than sit by myself TBH. Nobody seems to organise team lunches/nights out like they used to also.
Does your company have any groups you can join and meet people? How about arranging to meet people for ‘informational’ coffees? Its more on the work side of socialising but at least you’d get to talk to more people.

Not social at all at my work. I know nothing about my colleagues. Sometimes I'm the only person in the whole building.

We have the choice of working any two days per week from home, so on any given day only about 70% of the people are here out of roughly 24 of us. People always say hello and will stop by your office for a short catch up. Some of us go to lunch occasionally and a rare happy hour. We do have a monthly lunch get together in a conference room (sign up in advance and its catered) but its completely optional and you are NOT permitted to discuss work. Having tyed this out I guess we are rather social for a bunch of tech nerds with a majority of introverts.

Really appreciate the replies and it’s good to hear what it’s like elsewhere - too much socialising wouldn’t be for me either!

However, I really think the least people could do is look up and say hello in the mornings, and goodbye at the end of the day.

I spent the early part of my career in a huge corporate, it was friendly, fun (and completely OTT at times). People met their other halves there, dated, went out for lunch together and that kind of thing.

Then the mid-portion I was in a much smaller firm - 25 people max - which was super friendly, we became life long friends, knew each other’s kids/partners etc. and still keep in touch.

This ‘new normal’ of my organisation has thrown me - the come in, head down, go home again. I feel a bit sad for the younger employees, but maybe they get enough company out of work from their friends, family and hobbies.

Don’t get me wrong, I work really hard and definitely don’t want to chat all day, I’d just prefer a better balance, it all feels very soulless. No one chats in the lunchroom or goes for coffee together either, and if I suggest it, they act like I’ve got two heads and am overstepping boundaries.

Thanks again - I can see I need to put up and shut up, or find something else. I also need to review my life / social life too and not rely so much on work for interaction. 😊

I’m in a fairly new job in a big place. We sit in a big room and the amount of chat varies. Mainly, we discuss cases plus need to phone colleagues higher up the chain for instructions. A lot of people wear headphones (including me) but the job requires a LOT of concentration.

We have an online team meeting every day. So there’s no ‘lack’ of interaction but the quality of it isn’t great.

No one chats in the lunchroom or goes for coffee together either, and if I suggest it, they act like I’ve got two heads and am overstepping boundaries.

I am as introverted and anti-social as they come but even this would be weird to me. It is your workplace, not you.