When working from client's office, how do you politely decline invitations to after-work hangouts?

Question

The company for which I am a permanent employee of, has a client in the same city, they've outsourced me for that and I work directly from my client's company office.

Often times, I run into situations where, employees from client office, offer me to come to after office hangouts or activities with them. While this is super nice on their part and I appreciate it mostly, sometimes it just doesn't suit my preferences, but I still end up going with them since the people inviting me, are most of the times, working directly with my boss from client's office and I don't want to give them and eventually my boss, the impression that I am not friendly or a team player, because this could impact my company's relations with the client and future business opportunities.

I tried talking to my own company's direct manager about this and his response is mostly that I am a face of my company there and it wouldn't hurt to go out every now and then, he basically dismisses it.

I do understand that this question is subjective and most likely be marked closed but I am still wondering what should one do in my situation. How can one politely handle this situation that works best for me and also not impact any relations with client office. While I did see this question & this one. They're not entirely related to my situation. If this question was asked before, please add the link.

What's wrong with simple "I'm sorry, but I have family obligations after work"? — Aida Paul, Feb 13 '24 at 19:25
Does this answer your question? How can I politely decline my boss's invitations to social events after-hours or on the weekend It's not exactly the same situation, but I think the answers there will help you. — ColleenV, Feb 13 '24 at 19:34
@AidaPaul yes, that's what I usually do when I am in my own office or if it's one of my company's employee who invites me. The hesitation comes because this is client office. Any action I take, isn't just a reflection of me but also my company's. — Sherry, Feb 13 '24 at 20:19
@Shaheryar.Akram sure, but that's a very professional answer and it's professional to not pry into it either, so what's the problem you expect to arise from it? — Aida Paul, Feb 13 '24 at 20:22

score 10 · Answer 1 · answered Feb 13 '24 at 19:38

Just tell them something like:

I appreciate the offer but I can't make it today. Maybe next time.

If you don't ever intend to attend these functions in the future then leave out the "Maybe next time" part.

But if you want to maintain your relations with the client office, you should try to attend every once in a while. You don't state how often you are being invited. If it is many times per month, then you can stick to one outing per month or two months.

When working from client's office, how do you politely decline invitations to after-work hangouts?

1 Answers1