Corporate Retreats and Wellness Programs = Kumbaya Bullshit
Time Magazine - It's hard to imagine anything young people might value more than food, getting an extra paycheck or even having sex, but according to the results of a recent study in the Journal of Personality there is one thing prized most among college students: a boost to their self-esteem. In two consecutive studies of a total 282 students, researchers at Ohio State University showed that the majority of students chose kudos over more primal rewards like food, alcohol and sex as well as more sentimental rewards, like seeing a close friend. They even chose accolades over cold, hard cash.
Seems like these stories come out about once a year (coincidence this was printed around the new year, right when companies are handing out their yearly raises?), always with the same results. People apparently like pats on the back and "atta boys" better than cold hard cash, or apparently in this case, sex too. Bull shit.
And it's not just academia that studies this "phenomenon." I literally can't go three months without some kind of corporate wellness event shoving this crap down my throat. "Be kind to the people who report to you, tell them when they've done a good job, taken them out for lunch to show your appreciation, don't beat them with belts for being late, and publicly acknowledge them to your team via email." Umm yea, you know what I bet they'd like even better? A raise or a bonus to acknowledge their hard work. I'm sure a friendly smile and "great work" today is all its going to take to keep my employees around when they get tired of struggling to pay Boston area rent prices on an entry level job salary. Yea, that's it.
Seems to me its always self serving hippies and spiritual quacks talking in soft pleasant voices that push this bologna too. Yea, maybe a 10% raise isn't important to you, but for the rest of us who don't wear birkenstocks, eat granola, and shower more than once a week, we need cash.
And that's not even mentioning the hypocrisy of these "Corporate Leadership Counselors" telling us its not all about money. Umm how much did you just collect as a private consulting fee to put on this class in common sense horse shit? Would you take a pay cut for a few more glad hands and "nice jobs?" Didn't think so.
