this post was submitted on 04 Jul 2023
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Why do we have such a toxic culture of making work "fun"?? What the hell is wrong with people? Why can't we just do work, go home and have your own kind of fun with other people you enjoy being around???
Because your corporate overlords believe that if you can build a connection to your workplace and colleagues, they can guilt you into producing more value for less pay out of some misguided sense of loyalty. A job is a transaction. They don't give a shit about you, you don't need to give a shit about them.
But I'm afraid they've been wildly misinformed by the HR overlords or whomever on 'how to get employees to build a connection to the workplace and colleagues' cringe
I fucking hate it. I dont get it. Its a JOB. It means nothing to me. Just middle management and HR trying to justify their existance. Just cause they dont have personal lives.
An idea was floated by HR that each team should make a video (to put on our intranet) explaining what we do and how we fit into the organisation.
The kicker - it should have been a music video!!! Everyone loves to sing on camera!!
Thankfully upper management put an end to it quickly, but it went way further than it should have.
have these people not heard of the Geneva Convention?
We're talking about HR here, so definitely not.
I should note that there were a few teams that very actually disappointed that this didn't eventuate.
Those team members have been reported to ASIO as potential spies
Report?! No no no. Execute them now. Clearly they are shapeshifting aliens! I'd say robots but I think even robots would shy away from an artsy idea like that.
In the context of this particular team it makes sense. They're 'those' kind of people.
Super keen and excited for anything and everything.
Fuckers
Yeah, gross!
Oh man that is the worse. Also cue music The Human Beinz - Nobody but me song from The Office where they all film a music video and mime together.
I'm just not sold on the effectiveness....the best cultures I've worked in I feel like it all comes quite organically because you like the people they get you and you get along well together. No amount of forcing people to party in a room will achieve that.
You could suggest a team viewing of Office Space?
Oh! Remember next Friday is..Hawaiian shirt day. 🫠
I shall review footage as I don't remember a thing from it (or if I had indeed watched it). But no absolutely no team viewing.
It's becoming a big thing in government (my area of work at least). Heavily encouraged 'fun activities' for all!!!
I've been slightly shunned as I refuse to participate but fuck'em.
The worst is when they do this after cutting headcount and stuff thinking this will help but it's just really cringe.
Culture building and team bonding!!!
What's not to love
I like to make work fun for myself because I have to spend so much time on it. But forcing it to be fun for the whole team is just small minded groupthink. Especially when it comes from the minds of soulless and cynical HR departments
Same. Like I actually enjoy what I do and this whole let's make work fun vibe is just completely contrived and unnecessary.
if it's fun then you won't ask for more money
I think they sometimes miss the point that fun is in the eye of the beholder...
While I sometimes can motivate myself at work to make things fun or funny for some reason there’s always a natural and ugly resistance when it’s suggested by people higher up in the chain.
It's cringy when it's disingenuous which it almost always is.
I like work to be fun but not if it's forced. Then it's just more work of a different and more annoying kind.
Exactly! The socialising and activities just become another thing to do!