Scripts
How to Say No to Work ‘Fun’
It’s totally okay to not want to hang out with your colleagues outside of work
To have co-workers is to have co-workers invite you to things. After-work happy hours. Birthday parties on Friday nights. Picnics in backyards, or parks, or on rooftops. From time to time, or if you’re an especially social person, these events can be fun to attend. But for some of us, they can also feel like an inescapable trap.
And you know what? It’s totally okay to not want to hang out with your colleagues outside of work. You owe your job and your co-workers your time during the work day. You should, in theory, have your evenings and weekends to yourself — but that’s not really how the world works. There’s awkwardness and guilt to consider, not to mention office politics.
Diane Gottsman, an etiquette expert and founder of The Protocol School of Texas, says work-related events are all about balance and boundaries. “While it’s a good idea to join your team occasionally, allowing the after-hour events to monopolize your family or social life is a choice,” Gottsman says. “It’s important to set reasonable boundaries without coming off as if you are rude or disinterested.”
Here’s how to get out of office “fun” with respect and tact.
