We already single out certain social things as just not a good idea in the workplace/events even though its common socially: public displays of affection, having lots of kids around, single-sex activities... Its isolating/disruptive if you can't/won't take part. Its unfair when based on things not in the job description (relationships/kids/gender respectively).

I don't see why alcohol (excludes non-drinkers) or team-building activities outside of business hours (excludes those with family commitments) couldn't be one of those things.

By the time you've excluded all the possible activities that someone could find isolating, you've got a pretty boring work environment.

Here's the box you will be working in. Don't forget to turn off the light when you leave Friday.

That's OK. We are also supposed to have private life. If work is not fun enough without those events, maybe it is not fun in general.

I'll take it a step further -- why does work need to be fun?

It's my meal ticket, not my hobby; it needs to be tolerable.

The "fun at work" meme is, IMO, a way to keep people in the office longer a la the GOOOOG's Gilded Cage.

I think it depends on how you define fun. For me personally, does a workplace need to have alcohol, video games, bowling alleys, and ping pong tables? Probably not. It does need to be interesting though. And my co-workers/team need to be enjoyable to be around, both professionally and personally. If I'm not consistently having a good time at work, which could be construed as having "fun", there's very little reason for me to stick around. Especially in the tech scene, there's always a better place to work, so it's competitively advantageous for companies to have "fun" workplaces.

That might be ok for you, but not for me.

I am not going to work anywhere that I don't enjoy. I will instead quit and go somewhere else.

You are free to do otherwise. But just be aware that people have fun at work because they like to do so. And many people would quit if they didn't enjoy their work

> By the time you've excluded all the possible activities that someone could find isolating, you've got a pretty boring work environment.

Or you could list the attributes that you expect people to have during the hiring process and then decline to hire those that don't fit the company's culture.

Where do I sign up?!

What is wrong with that? It keeps minds focused on what should happen at work: work.

Nope, for some of us, taking breaks where we focus on other stuff is essential to perform better.

In my case, that's taking occasional walks to the coffeeshop nearby, despite their lack of inclusiveness of people with mobility problems and those who don't like coffee.

What's wrong is that I have the luxury of working at places that enjoy. I am not going to work at a place that I don't like.

You are free to choose otherwise, but me and many other people have the ability of quiting and working in better work environments.

I don’t see how the presence of alcohol excludes others? Most places that serve alcohol are perfectly capable of serving juice.

Its not the presense of the thing or the ability to decline, its the impact on those not taking part. If colleagues consuming alcohol exclude non-drinkers by their intentional or unintentional actions or make them feel like less of a team member (by say getting real drunk which is always annoying to non-drinkers), and drinking is not in the job description, then companies should not make it a part of a work event (IMO).

Having lots of kids around? One of my favorite jobs had a group of parents who would come in on the weekend for play dates (in designated areas). The company supported them, often organizing age appripriate maker type events.

Its not the thing, its the impact on the "normal" 9-5 worker. Its great that the company did that on the weekend, but they clearly didn't think it was good during the normal work week, which was my point.

"I usually skip team dinners when I can."

The other side of that is the question, "How much damage has skipping employer social events done to your career?" You'll probably never know the answer.

On the flip-side, you usually hear about people who crater their reputation due to their antics at office parties.

I'm sure they didn't have "get drunk and make everyone listen to their inappropriate jokes or worse" on their mind when they left the office.