Is there a year-end party at your workplace?
This is the first end of the year since the new coronavirus moved to Category 5.
New employees who joined the company during the coronavirus pandemic may have a mixture of anticipation and anxiety for their first year-end party with their boss.
Surprisingly, the survey results showed that the younger generation tends to be more motivated to participate in year-end parties.
(Good Morning Japan Director Shiro Imai, Network News Department Reporter Yu Suzuki)

* The content of this article will be broadcast on "Good Morning Japan" on Monday, December 12.

Is the year-end party a business? Will there be overtime pay? When I looked it up...

If I was forced to attend a year-end party that I didn't want to go to, would it be "work"? I tried to find out the truth.

"What about the year-end party at work?" I asked in Shimbashi!

Whether or not there is a year-end party at work. I asked 30 people in front of the station in Shimbashi, Tokyo.

Here is the result of having the sticker attached to the board.

Twenty-two respondents answered "yes" and
eight answered "none."


"I joined the company during the Corona disaster, so I'm looking forward to it because it's my first experience," "
We will do it in-house, not in a tavern."


"There is no year-end party due to the coronavirus pandemic, so there is no call as it is," "
I work in the medical field, so I don't do it to avoid infection."

When I heard in Shimbashi in the downtown area, there were many people holding year-end parties this year.

More bookings than before the Corona disaster

At the end of November, when I visited an izakaya in Minato-ku, Tokyo, the seats were almost full.
Many of the customers were wearing suits.
A corporate year-end party was also held with about 11 people.
Snacks are brought one after another, and drink orders do not stop.

According to Watami, which operates this store, as of November 189, the number of banquet reservations for the year-end party season, which began accepting applications at the 11 stores in the company, has increased by more than 12% compared to 2019 before the Corona disaster.


"The number of groups that were unable to hold banquets until last year due to restrictions has increased, including friends, families, and companies that we were unable to meet this year. There was a sense of relief."

Survey results that motivate people in their 20s to participate

1037 respondents November 2023~11, 1 Online survey

When a private research company asked more than 1000,52 people about their plans to hold a year-end party at their workplace, about half (3.2019%) answered that it would be held, and that it would not be held.
"Held" is approaching pre-pandemic levels of <> this year.

By age group, 20.61% of respondents in their 5s answered that they would like to participate in a year-end party.
This was followed by people in their 30s, with those in their 40s having the lowest rate at 51.1%.
Surprisingly, the survey results showed that the younger generation tends to be more motivated to participate in year-end parties.

One of the young people commented, "I became a member of society during the Corona disaster, so I long for a year-end party and other drinks, and I want to go actively."


"The number of year-end parties has decreased sharply due to the Corona disaster, so I think the generation that is experiencing year-end parties for the first time is in their early 20s.

On this day, 20 young people in their 20s were holding a workplace banquet at an izakaya in Tokyo.
Many of them have spent their student life during the Corona disaster, and even after entering the workforce, they continue to work remotely from home, so they look forward to seeing each other from time to time.

(23-year-old new employee)
"When I was in college, I didn't have any drinking parties, and since my second year of Corona, I haven't been involved with my friends since my third year, so it's fun to have more drinking parties like this since I joined the company."

Does the culture of "being careful" deter you from going?

In the survey, we also asked about "cultures that we think are unnecessary."

From the results of these surveys, it can be seen that awareness of year-end parties itself is changing.


"I think there are many situations where people pay attention to each other at year-end parties, and I think it will be a good opportunity to reconsider whether or not it is really necessary, such as drinking alcohol and worrying about seats, which have been commonplace at the drinking table until now."

Also known as "drinking nication," the year-end party at the workplace has become a place for communication. It seems that the liveliness is returning, but if we continue with the "culture" that we dislike, the participation rate is likely to deteriorate.

Ensuring that the participants do not get "tired" is likely to be the key to drinking in the future.