Why You Arent Being Invited to Happy Hour With Your Coworkers

Why You Arent Being Invited to Happy Hour With Your Coworkers Do you ever feel like things arent quite right with your co-workers?Perhaps recent interactions feel a touch off to you and youre not being included as much as you used to be. Situations like this can be extra tricky because therbeie may not be a specific incident or behaviour that you can call out to address, but you know something is wrong. Start by reflecting on past behaviour to see why you may have been left off of the invite list for lunch or Friday Happy Hour.1. Youre Taking Invitations Too Literally With very few exceptions, an invitation to lunch isnt about eating and happy hour isnt about drinking. They are about creating a community and getting to know your co-workers outside of the office. If youve already eaten, dont drink coffee, or are celebrating Sober October consider joining your co-workers anyway. You can still enjoy their conversation and camaraderie without food or drink. If you absolutely cannot join, consider suggesting another activity instead or inviting them to something soon. Its very likely that they want to include you and spend time with you, not watch you eat a sandwich.2. You Always Say No Dont make friends or co-workers chase after you. The chances are very high that after two declined invitations, requests will stop coming. If you cant join the team for an outing, be aya you express that youd like to be included for future events, or create your own to bring people together.3. Youre a Debbie Downer Are you constantly bringing the topic of conversations back to work, or worse, complaints about work? Use time out of the office to step away from your responsibilities and try to get to know your co-workers better. Theres plenty of time to talk shop before and after a team outing.4. Youre Not Self-Aware Observe your co-workers reactions around you. Do they stiffen up when you say certain things? Exchange glances? Roll their eyes? Take a moment to put yourself in their sho es and imagine why theyre having those reactions. What are you saying at the time and how might it land on them? A client of mine recently shared with her co-workers that she didnt envision staying very long at her company because she wanted to work at a place that was more dynamic and exciting. zu sich co-workers took her message to mean that staying at the current company meant they were stale and boring. That was not her intent, but just the same, she ended up having to do damage control afterward. Consider how your comments may impact others to ensure you stay on the group text.If you find youve been guilty of one of these offenses and would like to get back into the good graces of your old lunchtime crew, dont fret. Depending on your team, you could organize the next team outing to put yourself back into the group, or simply ask to join their next event. Youll be back in everyones good graces in no time flat.--Alyson Garrido is passionate about helping women advance their caree rs and find jobs they will enjoy. As a career coach, she partners with her clients to identify their strengths and create a path toward a more fulfilling career. Alyson provides support around preparing for interviews, performance reviews and salary negotiations, ensuring that you present yourself in the best possible light for job search and career advancement. Learn more or book a session with Alyson by visiting