A case for happy hours — like you needed more excuses anyway

Ding! New email comes in. Subject line: “Who needs a drink?!” You waver a little bit before responding. On the one hand, it’s been a long day and you really need to unwind. And there’s nothing important that you had to do after work. On the other hand, you just don’t know if you feel like going to happy hour.

Go.

A happy hour may be spontaneous, or it may be planned months in advance — but either way, it’s always a good idea. At Aloysius Butler & Clark, we try to plan a happy hour each month, hosted by one of the departments in the agency. We’ve had a creative department tailgate party in the parking lot, a public relations Halloween happy hour in our spooky garage, and a media team Oscars gathering complete with red carpet — just to name a few.

Don’t have the space or energy to plan a themed happy hour? No problem! Just grab a couple of colleagues and head down to the local brewpub to enjoy some of their happy hour specials. Do it. It’s good for you. It can actually be healthy. 

Marketing and advertising, like most industries, can be quite stressful. So we appreciate the salutary benefits of stepping away from it all and bonding with the people we spend most of our time with. But we mind our Ps and Qs!

And that is the key — even though you may be at a bar, you should still think of happy hour with your office mates as a work function. Remember, you have to see these people the next day. Here are some pointers for happy hour etiquette if you’re a happy hour newbie and still a little unsure of how to act.

Still not convinced? Here are 10 more reasons why happy hours are good for your well-being. Please note: I’m not endorsing going crazy on a school night by any stretch. I’m simply suggesting that you get out and connect with your coworkers to create a friendlier working environment. A happy, relaxed workplace leads to better thinking and a better product.

So, wanna grab a drink?