12-07-2004, 05:30 AM
Or the daft nature of rewards at my current place. They will waste money on buying people a coffee (which many people do not drink), but they just buy it, hand it out and take off... Result? People that drink coffee get one coffee at a price that could have supplied them coffee for a couple months, people that don't drink coffee feel duped, and no interaction ... Same thing with celebratory BBQs or meals out, when managers forget that about a third of our workers are Indian following vegetarian regimes ... good morale requires more than just lip-service and bribes.
Just to illustrate with yesterdays banking Christmas present. It was left on our desks overnight, so no personal contact or group interaction. Contents:
1 bottle of wine Price: $50? Value to me $0 (I don't drink)
1 250g pack of shortbread Price $5? Value to me $2 (I could buy a plain packet of choc. biscuits for $2)
1 400g pack of fudge price $10? Value to me $4 (Equivalent price of a pack of same weight chocolate)
Fancy packaging Price $3 materials +$2 labour? Value to me $0 (already in the bin)
I am not trying to look a gift horse in the mouth, but my point is that they spent $70 to get a $6 response. They could have given us all 2-3hrs off 'real' work to talk with different staff for the same price ...
But then again maybe I'm just too young and daft.