[chrisgd]

I like the idea of trying to find a replacement for happy hour. I think the better idea is taking that money and randomly distributing it among employees. If the Company wasn’t going to pay for it, just letting me go home is a better idea.

[dijit]

Better social cohesion makes the company perform better. Companies don’t allocate money for no reason (sadly) and it’s shown that monetary incentives only increase individual motivation so much.

[chrisgd]

Maybe there is proof to your first comment. I would remain more committed to a job that randomly gave me $100 once a year than a company that sponsored happy hours or (in the case of my last employer) had cookies and milk delivered. The biggest driver of loyalty is job satisfaction and overall compensation is the biggest driver of that after enjoyment of the job.

[Jamwinner]

Then these events should be on company time and company dime, since they are clearly profitable, and designed mostly to get more output through morale and communication.

[linhub]

The idea is that you can do it in working hours and it would be totally optional. Probably a good idea is that you have some hours to spend on social interaction, and you spend them however you want it can be playing the game with coworkers or even meet with people outside the org. Anyway, in most remote roles you manage your time.