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We’ve talked about proper happy hour etiquette before. Yet, what happens when happy hours doesn’t exactly ring your “happy” bell? What if you perceive happy hour more as an annoying, and unpaid obligation to spend more time with work colleagues? Is it OK to skip happy hour altogether, or does it have the potential of harming your career?

There are obvious reasons why sharing a drink or two with your boss could benefit your career, other than the sheer fact the company may be footing the bill. Yet, if after-hours drinks with co-workers are really not your cup of tea (no pun intended), there are ways to go about turning down the invite.

My $0.05: After starting a family, I’ve had to skip a happy hour or two. And yes, whether we like to hear it or not, it does affect that “social” part of your career advancement. Is it OK to skip it? There is no rule that says otherwise, however, you may want to strike a healthy balance between declining too frequent after-hours invites and attending a healthy percentage of them as part of your team integration.

Thoughts?

The Corporate Sis.