During his law school days in the early 2010s, STEPHEN HARRISON’s social life centered around “Bar review,” a common Thursday-evening happy hour for law students. It was a chance to escape the complexities of legal studies with drinks, where students and professors could connect and enjoy college life. HARRISON valued how “Bar Review” brightened weeknights and fostered friendships. When he became an adjunct professor at the University of North Texas in the 2020s, HARRISON aimed to revive the tradition. “I was only seeing them once a week,” said HARRISON. “I thought a Friday happy hour could let me interact with the students and fellow instructors more.”

However, his idea was met with resistance. Happy hours,he discovered,were considered outdated. Some students were even taken aback by the suggestion.

“they were kinda shocked by the idea-like, that it would be improper for a school to host a happy hour,” HARRISON told me. Initially, he suspected liability issues at a public university, but after consulting colleagues at the University of Texas at Austin, he learned that they had their own version of “Bar Review.” “So it’s just been this cultural change that’s happened over time,” he continued. “I found myself worrying about it. My students are just hanging out less in general. It’s not like they’ve replaced the happy hour with a trip to a coffee shop, either. They’re just showing up to class and going home.”

The decline of the after-work happy hour might potentially be one of the most noticeable shifts in the American workplace. These gatherings once provided a space for colleagues to bond, relax, and build camaraderie outside of the office. However, for various reasons, this tradition is becoming increasingly rare. It’s a change that has been observed gradually, then suddenly. Was there a time when we knew our colleagues better, when personal and professional lives were more intertwined? Did our colleagues used to have fun around the office?

While difficult to quantify, ALISON GREEN, a workplace expert, has observed this trend: We simply don’t socialize with our co-workers as much as we used to.

“I used to get a ton of questions in my mailbox about happy hours, or drama that happened at happy hours, or even from people who didn’t want to go to their office happy hours,” she told me. “I get far fewer letters like that now.”

GREEN noticed this change during the 2020 lockdowns, which disrupted professional routines. Organizing a happy hour became challenging when offices were empty, a problem that persisted with the rise of remote work. TORI MATTEI, a New York-based PR professional, misses the “HH” appointments on her calendar. She recalled that happy hours were once a highlight of her commute. “Someone you knew was hanging out at the bar along your route,” explained MATTEI.”The drinks were $10, and someone had already ordered wings.Why not stop in?”

RYAN BRODERICK, also from New York, identifies as a veteran of the digital-media happy-hour scene and agrees. He remembers a time when colleagues were eager to blur professional lines, a camaraderie he believes was lost due to COVID-19.

“I feel like most journalists feel a bit silly admitting this,but we all got into this job to,at least partially,meet cool and interesting people. That was the fun part for me,” said BRODERICK. “A lot of the post-COVID era is learning what you lost,and I think the big one for me is I lost an industry,and all the good-and bad-parts that come with that.”

Upon joining the team in the summer of 2023, I experienced this shift firsthand. The New York office, once vibrant, felt stagnant. On some days,only a few employees occupied the space,with many desks belonging to those who hadn’t been in the office for quite some time. While colleagues had good relationships, they were formed before COVID, when after-work gatherings were more common. For newcomers like myself,that camaraderie was difficult to access. Eventually, I organized a casual happy hour. It felt like a reunion, providing an prospect to connect with colleagues I had been working with for two years.

The story of COVID, and the 2020s in general, could be seen as the separation of the office from social life. More broadly, American society seems to be reevaluating its relationship with work. How much should we invest in our jobs? The current trend suggests as little as possible.

“I feel like most journalists feel a bit silly admitting this, but we all got into this job to, at least partially, meet cool and interesting people.”