By Ruth Cooper-Dickson, No Panic Patron

Over 4 years ago I stopped drinking alcohol when I started taking my SSRIs for panic disorder, as having a glass of wine made me physically unwell, let alone the mental side-effects.  My body had such a strong reaction to it.  When I finally stopped taking my medication, I realised for me alcohol did not help my anxiety at all, so I made the decision to stay sober and have been ever since as it works for me.  I use LinkedIn a lot for work and I have posted several times about mindful drinking in the workplace. That there are many reasons people do not want to drink alcohol, that the alcohol-free options are usually either water or sugary soft drinks (to which there is no excuse with the burgeoning low and no drinks market), and that work events are often still centred around a pub or bar.

However, as someone who experiences anxiety and has been diagnosed with several anxiety disorders, I’ve noticed since the return to in-person events how overwhelming they can be.  Whether that is the noise and the intensity of stimulation, the amount of people in a room and at times going up to strangers and making small-talk conversation, with everyone hybrid working the faces are not always familiar.

I consider myself an extrovert individual (yes you can be even with an anxiety disorder) but the conversations I’ve had in my day job as a wellbeing practitioner, suggest that work social events often don’t consider how colleagues might be feeling quite anxious before attending.

? In the UK, over 8 million people are experiencing an anxiety disorder at any one time (Mental Health UK, 2022)

? An estimated 822,000 workers are affected by work-related stress, depression, or anxiety every year (Health and Safety Executive, 2022)

Recently I held my own event at a local business venue and I made it clear beforehand that decent alcohol-free options would be offered (not just orange juice) and secondly, for people not to worry if they were coming alone as we would connect people beforehand.  I also asked people to reach out to me directly if they felt anxious about attending alone and I could be aware of who they were to say hello.

On the back of this I wanted to share my eight tips for creating inclusive work social events which might help reduce anxiety of team members.  I hope you find these useful.

1. Ensure there is someone from the team at the venue first to welcome everyone as they arrive. Don’t move on until everyone has arrived.
2. If people are travelling alone offer opportunities for people to buddy up at travel points for before and after the event.
3. Consider the timing of the events for people with caring, child-care, or other commitments.  Also, as a woman, travelling late at night alone is not something I feel comfortable with and it raises my anxiety levels through the roof.
4. Find spaces which allow for people to step-away if it is noisy to speak and connect, without having to shout and be heard.  This is also inclusive for those who may be hearing impaired.
5. If the consensus of venue is a bar or pub, then check for alcohol free and dietary options beforehand.  If you are running an activity or attending an event, check the accessibility options.
6. Please don’t assume everyone loves playing games and icebreakers, so think these through first and know your audience.
7. If individuals are expected to be paying for themselves, check the price range and that it is comfortable for people.  Do not assume everyone is happy splitting the bill, it annoys me as a non-drinker but with the cost-of-living crisis, anxiety around spending money on nights out is probably high for most people.
8. Finally, this came tip on the back of someone messaging me the other week…that if people are left in the office to take calls and not joining until later, please do agree a rota for this so it doesn’t have to be the same person who is left until last and then has to come and track everyone down, or could you just not hold on and wait until everyone can join together!