From Evening Drinks to Lunch Buffet... The Changed Year-End Party [Cheongchun Report]

Office Workers Prefer Simple Year-End Lunch Parties
"Year-End Boom Disappeared"... Complaints from Self-Employed

# Kim Mo (31), an office worker in his 5th year, had a lunch gathering at a buffet near the company for the first time this year. Although there was a suggestion from a superior to have a dinner gathering at a barbecue restaurant, most team members preferred to have a delicious meal at lunch. Kim said, "I liked that I didn't have to make a toast since I wasn't drinking, and I could get home early, so it was definitely less burdensome than a dinner gathering," adding, "If gatherings are like this, I think I can attend without stress in the future."

As the year-end approaches and gatherings continue, drinking culture is changing, especially among the younger generation, moving away from the 'drink until you drop' style. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, there were many who forced themselves to drink excessively. However, recently, preferences for alcohol-free gatherings have increased, and lunch gatherings have become popular, showing a different culture from the past. The culture of forcing alcohol has disappeared, and employee autonomy has expanded, which is the key.

Office Workers Prefer 'Simple Lunch Meals' Over Dinner Gatherings

[Image source=Pixabay]

Recently, more companies are not holding gatherings. According to a survey conducted by JobKorea on the 22nd targeting 1,097 office workers about 'This Year's Year-End Party Trends,' only 44.1% of respondents said their company holds year-end parties, which is less than half. The most preferred type of year-end party among office workers was 'simple lunch meals' at 29.5%, ranking first. This was followed by 'gift card-type year-end parties,' where meetings are replaced by giving gift cards, at 19.2%, ranking second.

The younger generation is positively accepting the changed gathering culture. Eunhye Lee (27), an office worker in her 3rd year, said, "Some say gatherings are necessary for team bonding, but since we always eat lunch together anyway, I don't think there's a need for a grand dinner gathering," adding, "There are many times when I have to work overtime, and if I have a gathering after work, I don't think I can keep up physically." She added, "We decided to go to a nice restaurant separately for lunch with close friends."

The change in gathering culture is related to the COVID-19 situation. During COVID-19, social distancing led to a growing atmosphere of refraining from gatherings, and even when gatherings were held, they were often brief and simple. Instead of year-end gatherings, watching movies or performances has increased. According to a 'Night Activity Activation Public Opinion Survey' conducted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government targeting 1,000 Seoul citizens, 64.4% responded that 'gathering culture has decreased since COVID-19.'

Quiet Year-End Atmosphere Leaves Small Business Owners 'In Tears'... "Year-End Boom Seems Gone"

As the Christmas decoration lighting ceremony took place at the Lotte Department Store main building in Sogong-dong, Seoul, citizens stopped in their tracks and took photos with their phones. Photo by Jo Yongjun jun21@

Small business owners expecting a year-end boom are sighing deeply. Usually, Christmas and the year-end and New Year holidays are considered peak seasons for small business owners due to increased customers. However, complaints continue that business is difficult due to a noticeably different atmosphere from before. On the small business owner community 'Apeunikka Sajangida' (Because It Hurts, I'm a Boss), posts saying 'the year-end boom has disappeared' continue.

One small business owner who runs a bar said, "I am operating tightly, so net profit is similar to last year, but the year-end results are below expectations," adding, "I don't think gatherings are held at home, so I don't know what happened." Netizens commented on this post, saying, "Culture has changed since COVID-19. Even if people drink, they go home before public transportation stops, gatherings have disappeared, and year-end meetings are the same," and "The disappearance of gatherings seems to be a big factor."

Generational Conflicts Over Gathering Culture

[Image source=Pixabay]

However, differences in opinions between the older generation and the younger generation regarding gathering culture continue. More than half of the 40s and 50s age group feel the need for year-end gatherings, while the 20s and 30s age group mostly think they are unnecessary. According to a survey conducted by HR tech company Incruit targeting 873 office workers, 50.7% responded that 'year-end gatherings are necessary,' while 49.2% said 'not necessary.' Cross-analysis by age showed that the younger the age, the more they felt year-end gatherings were unnecessary. More than half of those aged 50 and above (66.7%) and those in their 40s (55.8%) answered that year-end office gatherings are necessary. However, the response rates were lower among those in their 20s (46.3%) and 30s (45.9%) compared to middle-aged groups.

On the other hand, abuses related to gatherings still continue. According to Workplace Abuse 119, from January to December 12 this year, among verified reports, there were a total of 48 consultations related to gathering participation, of which 62.5% (30 cases) were cases of 'forced participation in gatherings.' The remaining 18 cases (37.5%) were 'exclusion from gatherings.' Workplace Abuse 119 stated, "Forcing participation in gatherings is a typical form of workplace harassment as specified in the Ministry of Employment and Labor's manual for diagnosing and preventing workplace harassment," adding, "What particularly distressed the reporters was the threat that participation in gatherings could affect work evaluations."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.