You’ve most certainly heard of happy hour in bars where they attract customers with promotions on drink prices. Typically held between 5 and 7 p.m., these informal get-togethers bring colleagues, friends, or even strangers together in bars, cafés, offices, or on terraces, often with a glass of wine, a pint, and a few shared snacks. To Quebecers, 5@7 is not happy hour. A 5@7 (pronounced seink-a-set), is a post-work mini-celebration. It’s a moment to disconnect from work and reconnect your tribe.
For some the 5@7 is a ritual. It doesn’t have to be written in a calendar because it’s always on the agenda. For others it’s a spring of the moment. What are you doing after work? 5@7 ? This end of the workday, middle of the week pause, is where colleagues become friends. By talking, laughing, and letting out some steam. What makes the 5@7 uniquely Québécois is the spirit behind it: relaxed, inclusive, and animated. It’s a celebration of being together for no grand reason at all. Just the simple pleasure of human connection.
At my University, the faculty of Aménagement (“planning”) has 5 departments: Urban, Landscape, Architecture, Interior Design and Industrial Design. Every Thursday night, a different department was in charge of the 5@7.
One time I was ordering a beer at the bar when I saw a fire begin outside in a construction container. I knew that people were smoking on the passing bridge and throwing their butts into the container. I ran to the scene to see how I could help. By then black smoke had started to form under the bridge. Above the bridge were 4 stories of our beloved workshop areas. Eureka! I went to my old workshop on the ground floor and pulled out the water hose from the wall. I got a few friends to open the doors as I rushed with the hose. I opened the nozzle and … nothing. I asked a friend, Patrick, to hold it open aiming for the fire. I ran back to the wall and turned the wheel to open the valve. I rushed back to the fire and Patrick was spraying the container. A few minutes later the fire was out. But a huge black circle of soot had left a mark on the bottom of the workshop floors. When the firemen arrived they wanted to thank us for our bravery. People pointed to Patrick. And in turn Patrick pointed to me. The fire captain put his hand on my shoulder and gave me a solemn thank you for your service. He said that a few more minutes and the whole school would have been on fire. Ever since that close call, we talked about how the department’s 5@7 were on fire and a permanent burn mark to prove it.
Earlier, I wrote about how I was sharing Quebec culture to my Colombian colleagues. Quickly, I noticed that most had plans for weekends beginning on friday nights. So my opportunity for socializing with colleagues had to be during the week. This was a familiar pattern with University students going back to their families over the weekends. So I applied the same tried and true solution of the Thursday night 5@7.
The first time didn’t go as I had planned. I had invited all my 7 coworkers in the office the day before. I went for a beer run in that afternoon. I rearranged the lunch area with a single table and put cold beers out for all to see. Then the clock struck 5 and it was time to gather. And… No one joined me. I rearranged the beers in the shape of a smiley face. Took a picture. Waited some more. I finally got up and went to see what was holding them back. Some said they had work to finish, others that they would join later but never came down. Finally one younger colleague of my age joined me. And then he got a phone call and had to go back to his desk. At this point, I was questioning my motivation for why I wanted to gather everyone. Just as my resolve was breaking, that’s when they all came down laughing. They had played me good. We all enjoyed a beer and a laugh at my expense. This little Quebecer is trying to herd us so we’ll see how he deals with soft resistance. This episode ended up being exactly what the team needed. A light hearted moment to connect beyond the work projects. Years later, my boss Luis told me that he would sometimes organise team moments in the spirit of “Jueves Sink a Set.” Which is how a spanish speaking person would say 5@7.