Unexpected sign that a huge part of Aussie culture has died

Covid killed a lot of office culture but one thing that Australians never thought would die seems to be fading into the background.

It’s no secret that working from home deprived Aussies of some beloved work-day rituals like a coffee run with a friend or $15 sandwiches for lunch — but most seemed to have revived themselves.

One that has not seemed to survive is the sacred act of after-work drinks with colleagues.

A report from the UK’s Lancaster University think tank Work Foundation and the International Alliance for Responsible Drinking released a report this month that offered a number of reasons for the shift away from alcohol-related activities among colleagues.

The report’s authors noted more of a blend of people are working together than ever before, forcing habits to change.

“While ‘after-work drinks’ have long been a staple of socialising and workplace culture, in recent years there has been a shift in attitudes towards the appropriateness of centring workplace social activities outside of working hours or around the consumption of alcohol,” the report said.

After work drinks were a huge part of the working week before Covid. Picture: Alamy

Recently, the question was posed on an Australian Reddit thread about whether or not after-work drinks are dead.

“Not when one drink is $15,” one social media user declared.

Another said: “Nope. Corporate role. The fun and humour has been completely sucked out of my team so as soon as we can leave we do.”

One said that their work made it once a month on a day where there was mandatory office attendance, but that it was essentially an open bar in the office.

“Nah I just want to go home and spend time with my family,” one said.

One chose to blame it on the generational divide, claiming: “No, millennials and zoomers ruined the fun.”

“Not really, corporate work has become incredibly sterile in the last decade. People are beyond boring these days, especially where I work, not even any friendly banter,” another said.

Another declared: “Aussies are drinking less and are investing in real time with family and friends instead of selling their personal time to corporate lol.”

In February it was announced that the price of beer would rise by 90 cents, which meant that the cost of an average schooner was now above the $15 mark.

But now some people have believed it has died. Picture: Renee Nowytarger / News Local

Brewers Association of Australia chief executive John Preston told news.com.au at the time that Australia has the third highest beer tax in the world, after only Norway and Finland.

“The increase brings the tax on a slab to around $20, with GST added on top of that,” he said.

“These days around half the cost of a $55 slab is excise tax and GST.”

The tax charged on spirits and beer – known as the excise tax – varies depending on the alcohol content of each drink. The amount of excise tax charged by the government is also linked to inflation, which means since May 2022 drinkers have been his with a 15 per cent increase.

Gen Z has also led the charge in finding social activities that don’t involve questioning whether you’ve said something embarrassing to your boss and stressing about it all weekend.

More Australians than ever are choosing to cut back on alcohol or adopt sobriety, however, some of the most surprising results have come from Australians aged 18-24, according to new research from DrinkWise.

Gen Z have led the charge against drinking. Picture: ryansbar/Instagram

The data found that 76 per cent of young Australians like to socialise in ways that do not involve drinking alcohol.

Two-thirds admit that they do not like to ruin the following day with a hangover from drinking the night before.

The change is one that’s “flown under the radar” according to DrinkWise chief executive Simon Strahan, who noted that young people were adopting healthier lifestyles, helping to drive down their alcohol consumption.

However, on Reddit, not everyone agreed with the analysis that after work drinks were completely extinct. Others suggested that because most people work from home on a Friday that it was actually now taking place midweek.

“Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. I was surprised how pumping the CBD was on a Thursday compared to a Friday,” one commenter argued.

Another said: “Yes for us most weeks. It’s nice to work with people whose company you can enjoy socially, acknowledging how rare that is.”

“Yep every Thursday at the office onsite bar funded by employer. Sometimes pizzas and snacks too,” another said.

Originally published as Unexpected sign that a huge part of Aussie culture has died