Well, at least something truly constructive did come of this thread....

For me, it's about being there to do a job, do it safely and well, and to conduct myself with other people the way my mother raised me to do so. Their is absolutely ZERO social reason to be there. I don't buy lunches or dinners, or go out with crews, and do not talk about company business, politics, religion, world events on the job.

I enjoy polite conversations about our family farm, previous flying experiences and equipment, my path, all that's fine, but it's "light." Definitely love talking about my kids and my wife. We have those moments where it's OK.

i can think of CRM related reasons why social interaction on the layover has value. Team building, primarily. As the Captain, I buy the F/O a beverage of his/her choice, assuming we have time. When I was an F/O, Captains did the same for me and I respected and appreciated that. New hires were always taken care of, both food and bev. Perhaps when we had pre built lines where we spent a month together these gestures meant more, but I still enjoy the old school traditions.

I totally get avoiding politics and religion. I have to admit that I don’t see your point in company and world news. That can directly affect your job and an F/O should be able to get a captain’s thoughts on how it might impact them. It’s not in any contract that you must socialize with or buy dinner/drink for yours F/O. However, it is the sort of gesture that builds a more cohesive team. 99/100 who cares, but when the jet is on fire, etc you won’t regret building a better team.

100% agree