Jennifer Newman: an employee's guide to social apathy at the company barbecue
It's okay to skip workplace social events but don't shut yourself out entirely, says workplace expert
Some people live for the space where work and social life intersect, while others dread the inevitable invite to the company's summer picnic.
But there's a difference between selectively attending after-work functions and allowing social apathy to run the show, according to workplace psychologist Jennifer Newman.
Newman discussed with Stephen Quinn, guest host of CBC's The Early Edition, how the issue can affect someone's career path.
Stephen Quinn: What is social apathy and how does it manifest at work?
Jennifer Newman: Social apathy refers to a lack of passion, excitement or even interest in social events and at work.
Apathetic co-workers tend to show little interest in social events planned by work mates or the organization. Generally, they don't show-up to events planned by social committees. Sometimes they won't even join in if it's a boss inviting them to a function.
Apathetic behaviour can affect workplace morale. People feel deflated and even frustrated and sometimes it even fosters more malaise around the workplace.·
What about people who go to work to work and don't want to participate, what are they losing out on?
In this case it's not only about interest in terms of picking and choosing what you're interested in attending. Not everyone's a gregarious or outgoing person who wants to be involved — but it can be about disinterest.
If you're finding you were once interested in things and all of sudden you're not, that's something to be aware of. If you're consistently avoiding get-togethers, that can be a sign of social anxiety.
It can indicate depression, but social apathy is different than that. Social apathy happens when something is going wrong in their life, maybe personal or in in the workplace.
What kinds of problems does worker apathy point to?
It can be a symptom of powerlessness. What you'll see is people say, "I don't really have much say at work."
So turning up at the event feels a bit hypocritical because people wonder why they should take interest in what's going on outside of work if they don't feel valued.
It can also be because there are unresolved interpersonal conflicts. If you have a beef with a colleague you're not really going to want to go to the company barbecue and hang out with them.
In other cases it can mean workers are struggling personally. Apathy is sometimes linked to feelings of worthlessness or self-loathing or inadequacy. But it can also be a symptom of medical problems like thyroid disease or life transitions like menopause.
What can workers do if they feel apathetic because of how their workplace is treating them?
If you find yourself not attending things you would otherwise be interested in (that's the key part), it could mean you're protesting something.
If it's difficulties with your supervisor or colleagues think about how you could influence the situation, because this kind of apathy can take a toll on workers personally.
Feeling powerless can slide into feelings of helplessness and the next stop could be depression.
How many people end up going to these things because they feel obligated?
Not everyone is a social butterfly or interested in everything their workplace invites them to. It's important not to confuse that with social apathy.
When social apathy is linked to feelings of inadequacy or worthlessness, that can result in isolating behaviours and a tendency to sink into negativity.
What can managers do if they notice symptoms of social apathy amongst staff?
Accept staff might be sending a message. It could be they haven't been consulted about what they think are fun activities to do in the summer and things are being foisted on them.
But the other thing is they might be sending a message about how they're being treated.
Perhaps a clique has taken over social planning and only the in-group attends. Rather than chalking it up to personality issues or throwing up your hands you want to identify the root causes.
If there are cliques or unresolved tensions, start dealing with them. If you're struggling as a supervisor, get help. Don't fall into the trap of accepting powerlessness.
Interestingly, if managers believe that they're powerless, they will become apathetic and that actually has been linked to more staff apathy and it becomes a vicious cycle.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Listen to the entire conversation below.