Presented by mike’s® Hard Lemonade
There are a few occasions in the workplace where it’s generally accepted, albeit unspoken, that workers shift into autopilot. The week between Christmas and New Years, July, and the day of an impending social company outing all come to mind.
The latter typically consists of colleagues firing off a couple “I’ll look into this” emails before strutting to the water cooler in their freshest work shirts to gather intel about the night’s festivities — Who’s going? Will the big wigs open the bar? How about a few orders of jalapeño poppers?
It’s imperative to engage in social gatherings with co-workers outside of a professional setting for a number of reasons, including but not limited to, the following:
1.) You spend more time with these people than you do your loved ones, so it’s only right that you get to know them on a human level.
2.) There is no room for insincere corporate jargon in social settings. Candidness reigns supreme, and it can inform you on where you really stand in your career and how you get to where you want to be.
3.) Partying is fun.
With that said, so many of these work happy hours are blander than unbuttered popcorn. Going to the nearest watering hole and standing around a table is about as appetizing as the ice cold potato skins floating around (I said I wanted jalapeño poppers, damnit). But every office in America, even the ones with a foozball table and no dress code, is guilty of falling into this trap.
And it stops today.
So without further ado, here are five unique ways to add a little sizzle to your office happy hours.
LASER TAG
“What am I, 12?” you ask, rudely.
No, sir, you are just ignorant.
Laser tag is one of those activities that we abandoned when we sprouted our first pit hairs, but has remained one of the more exhilarating activities out there. It’s ideal for work happy hours because when you throw on that vest and enter the fluorescent maze, corporate rank means nothing. You may very well find your CEO curled up in the fetal position while an intern under the code name of “Agent 0” unloads mercilessly. Unlikely mutinies will form, and it’s then and only then when you’ll realize who your real work homies are.
Sipping on a couple of mike’s® Hard Lemonades will bring your adult self some childish energy. You’ll be able to laugh over the fact that you just shot your boss with a laser, and embrace the fact that you’re no longer stressed about some mundane TPS reports.
SPORTING EVENT
Whether it be a baseball game or a monster truck event, you can really never go wrong with watching athletes or performers at the top of their game. Ramp up the excitement of the game by making friendly prop bets with your colleagues — ie.) If so-and-so hits a double next at bat, you make coffee runs for me all next week.
Also, many big companies have corporate boxes at stadiums, and it could be argued that scoring yourself a couple games a season in a box with endless finger foods and ice cold drinks is the fulfillment equivalency of a 10% raise.
ICE BAR
For those who currently have pit sweat stains from the heat, raise your hands! Actually, no, don’t raise your hands, for the sake of everyone. Just nod and agree that the last place you want to be in 90-degree heat is sweating through another work shirt with co-workers in a crowded bar. An ice bar allows you to drink all the mike’s Hard your heart desires with the added benefit of your buttcheeks not feeling like a Floridian swamp.
BOWLING
Another timeless activity that can turn from light-hearted to competitive with one strike or daunted gutter ball. Bowling requires just enough physical activity to make you feel like you’re accomplishing something, while not enough to take you out of party mode. If you can get over the fact that the required footwear has been worn by generations, bowling is a sure-fire good time for everyone who doesn’t have a candlepin up their bums.
ROAST
There are so many start-ups nowadays with CEOs who skateboard to work and give unlimited vacation days, so it’s only fair that this posturing is put to the test.
A roast can be a therapeutic way to have some fun with your coworkers, lightening the mood within the office by, you know, sharing some laughs together. What better way to do that than with a little delicious bottles of mike’s to help relieve some of the stress and demands work brings? There are very few diplomatic ways outside an event like this that calls attention to the mindlessly accepted work-isms like fluff meetings, meaningless mass emails, and general office idiosyncrasies.
Simply have each participant send a joke to the Roast Master for pre-approval prior to the event, set a strict time limit when delivering the jokes, and, thanks to the cooler full of mike’s, there will be plenty of laughs shared together.
*****
Let me know if you’re company goes through with any of these ideas because I want in. I can easily play the role of That One Dude At Every Office Function Who No One Is Really Sure Works There. We all have one.