As Office Party Season Heats Up, LinkedIn Finds Networking Is On The Decline

Does your festive season networking schedule seem lighter than usual? If so, you're not alone. New research from LinkedIn shows that 30% of U.K. workers are less likely to go to festive parties this year than five years ago, which is surprising given a tough job market where competition for jobs is stiff. The holiday season is traditionally ripe with various corporate-sponsored parties that do double-duty as networking events — but people have a declining interest in attending. Janine Chamberlin, Head of LinkedIn UK, explains why we're seeing this decrease in traditional networking.

"The same circumstances that are impacting the world of work are reflected in how the traditional concept of networking is also changing," says Chamberlin. "We've done research around this, and we can see that people just don't invest as much time in networking because they don't believe they have the time for long lunches or staying out late after work. So, professionals are finding new ways to network while they balance all of these other things that have come to the forefront over the past several years." According to the research, the most common causes for the slowdown in attending in-person networking events are that people don't want to extend their workday, they're under too much pressure with their current workload to carve out time, and they have personal commitments that are more important.

As people collectively wrestle with balancing flexibility with a steady income, it begs the question of whether the decline in networking is related to a deprioritization of the traditional career hustle. Chamberlin doesn't think so. "I think there is a shift, but I don't know if it's about deprioritizing. I think the ambition is still there, but people are looking differently at what career progression actually means. It's less about climbing the ladder and more about how we get different experiences to allow us to achieve our ambitions and align to the purpose that we are looking for."

What place does networking have to help people find their next role? While it is an admittedly tough job market, LinkedIn's October 2024 Workforce Report does show signs of the hiring market picking up. Hiring increased in all 20 industries the report measures from August to September, but hiring remains below 2023 levels. Given these conditions, networking is still the skill to give job seekers a leg up. "Our research proves that people still regard networking as important as it has ever been," says Chamberlin. "More than 70% of professionals in the U.K. believe that networking is critical to career success. Almost half of the people who took part in our research believe that their bosses want to see them do more networking. So it's not just important to find your next job, but also to be successful in your current one."

Given the decline in traditional networking, but knowing it still has a prominent place in one's career journey, what does networking look like now? "It's an obvious answer — it's shifting to online," says Chamberlin. "People are building relationships through new communities and online platforms." It's an equation of balancing what, if anything, one loses out on if they do not go to an event in person when one can reach out to attendees online and start or continue a conversation there. These virtual relationships are becoming increasingly easier to foster, as well. "It's easier to get access to people and start building a relationship virtually before we decide to invest the time to go meet them in person. We've become more comfortable with this because of the pandemic," says Chamberlin.

MORE FROMFORBES VETTED
70+ Early Black Friday Deals: Save Up To 50% On Beauty, Tech And More
By
Jordan Thomas
Forbes Staff
The 116 Best Black Friday Deals So Far, According To Our Editors
By
Kara Cuzzone
Forbes Staff

Regardless of your preferred networking method, it remains essential for building meaningful connections. Start looking at it as a value-add instead of a necessary evil. For example, think about how networking allows you to exchange knowledge, gain insights, and stay informed about industry trends. Networking enhances your visibility and your chances of landing your next gig — and is here to stay.