Over a third (37%) of workers say they have forgotten how to socialise since the pandemic first hit

Over half (55%) miss the banter of the office and a quarter are missing our work friends

South Western Railway has launched Thank God It's Thursday, an open fund to the public to claim a piece of the pot to use for post-work get togethers to use on food, drinks or snacks

Simply follow and tweet @SWR_TGIT #TGIT every Thursday* between 2 – 5pm for a chance to claim

Under Embargo: 00.01 6th April 2022 (midnight tonight), London: Thank God It's Thursday! South Western Railway is calling on colleagues to put their out of office on and have a free round on them every Thursday this month, as it encourages co-workers to get back together in a new age of remote working.

In today's "new normal", Thursday is officially the new Friday, and South Western Railway is looking to bring back the much-missed, post-work get-togethers, to remind people of the fun to be had back in the office – with co-workers able to claim themselves their first round for free, every Thursday from 7th April.

The TGIT (Thank God It's Thursday) fund comes following research conducted by the train company, which found that with over half (53%) of British workers spending much less time in the office post-pandemic, unsurprisingly post-work socials have not yet fully recovered, and it's having a negative impact on our sociability and confidence.

Research of 2,000 office workers across the UK found over a third (37%) say they have forgotten how to socialise since the pandemic, with a fifth admitting they now feel less confident (22%). And as a nation, we're calling out to re-connect, with over half (55%) of us missing the banter we have with our work colleagues.

63% of people said that the biggest positive to getting back into the office was being able to see their work colleagues, however whilst over a quarter (26%) of us miss our work friends, only 16% of colleagues are meeting up a least once a week – which is where South Western Railway comes in!

William Hanson, etiquette consultant to the stars says: "Our much-missed after-work soirées are not only the highlight of the working week, but key for developing relationships with colleagues, and will help to restore the confidence lost over years of working in isolation. When you do start to get back together, however, please remember to not chew the boss's ear too much, and leave some of the snacks for others."

South Western Railway's TGIT fund has been set-up to encourage workers to get back together, and re-connect after work every Thursday, with the first round on them – with a staggering 51% of people claiming they'd be more likely to go out with work if the first round was free!

• The promotion will run across a 4-week period from 7th April to 28th April and will be available on a first-come-first-served basis each week; to claim your free round, simply follow and tweet @SWR_TGIT with '#TGIT' every Thursday between 2-5pm to be in for the chance of claiming a piece of the pot.

For more information, including terms and conditions, please visit www.southwesternrailway.com/tgit