Nearly two-thirds of employees (61 percent) attach great value to informal gatherings such as company drinks. For a large part of the employees, a company drink is a good opportunity for informal contact with colleagues (77 percent) and the manager/employer (69 percent). In addition, a large majority (68 percent) agree that it is important that the employer pays for the costs of these types of informal events. This is apparent from a study of the Heineken Blade beer tap.
94 percent of employees indicate that they sometimes have a company drink. Yet a third of them (33 percent) think that too few drinks are organized at their company. In 32 percent of the cases, the drinks are held in the canteen. There are also quite a few companies (28 percent) where the drinks take place in the workplace. Employees most often (also) take control (32 percent) when it comes to organizing drinks.
Drink etiquette
A company drink can seem like a great opportunity to show your most loose side. But maybe you should think about that for a while. More than a third of the respondents (32 percent) mention drunk colleagues as the biggest frustration during company drinks. So enjoy in moderation, or opt for alcohol-free alternatives. In addition, the company drink is an excellent opportunity to network, but there are things to take into account.
More than half of the respondents who sometimes have a company drink (56 percent) think that (almost) everyone should be present at the drink. And although many employees come by car, according to research among Heineken executives – surprisingly enough – alcohol-free beer is offered at only slightly more than half of company drinks.
With regard to snacks and inclusivity, there is also progress to be made at many company drinks:warm snacks, such as bitterballen, are by far the most popular at drinks (78 percent). No Dutch person will be surprised about the rest of the list either:nuts (46 percent) are in second place, followed by cheese cubes (42 percent) and chips (31 percent). 12 percent of employees would like to see vegan snacks again.
