Re: Perks (was phone interview)

[Andrew Plato <gilliankitty -at- yahoo -dot- com>]

"Bruce Byfield" wrote...

> > Why must the company buy you something in order to "improve morale?" 
> 
> They don't, and the question really has nothing to do with the point. 
> You're making too much out of a more or less random example.

Perhaps I am, but there was a correlation made between morale and the company
spending money. And that always hits a raw nerve with me, because unlike nearly
everybody on this list, I am the guy who has to sign the checks at the end of
the day. 

> However, for the record, I don't happen to think that spending money is 
> necessarily the best way to improve morale. Some of the best atmospheres 
> I worked in didn't have many perks, but made me feel as though the 
> employers were interested in my opinion and consulted me where my 
> thoughts might be useful.

Hence, the quality of a workplace should not be dependent on how many handouts
you get. 

> I never suggested that it did. But if most people at a company regularly 
> eat at their desk, it does say something about the corporate culture. 
> The atmosphere may be oppressive, or employees may simply be enthused 
> about their work and dedicated.

In other words: it says NOTHING about the corporate culture. It says a lot more
about that specific person than it does about the corporate culture.

For example, maybe the reason people eat at their desks is because there isn't
any good places to eat near by the lunch room is small. Would this constitute a
"hostile, applicant unfriendly atmosphere?" 

I don't think so? But, since I am a ruthless capitalist scum whose only mission
in life is the systematic oppression and exploitation of the ignorant unwashed
masses - maybe my perception is a bit twisted. 

> As a contractor, I can say that having an employer and having a customer 
> are two different relations. Relations with an employer tend to be 
> hierarchal, relations with a customer more equal - although obviously 
> there are exceptions to such sweeping generalities.

Yes and I would disagree. I see the difference in relations as a factor of
"cleanliness."  Employer-employee relations are a lot "messier" because both
sides bring a lot of weaponry to the table. Corporate hierarchy is one tactic
organizations use to "keep people in their place" and give them a sense of
structure. This merely muddies up the relationship, but it doesn't
fundamentally alter it.  The employee can still equalize the relationship
through talent, hard work, and vision. 

Supplier-customer relationships are hardly equal. They are just a lot
"cleaner."  You're not encumbered with a lot of the nonsense of a corporate
environment. As such, you can get down to basics. "This service costs this
much."  

> You've missed the point entirely. The answer to a question like "What do 
> you do for lunch around here" isn't important because it lets you know 
> the perks of the job. It's important because the answer can tell you 
> something about the atmosphere of the office.

I got the point. I just disgaree with your conclusion. I don't think that
question really reveals much of anything about a company. And its the kind of
question that is widely open to (mis)interpretation, making the question even
more useless. 

> I mentioned eating while working and companies that buy lunch, but I 
> could easily have added answers such as "We pop down to Starbucks for a 
> muffin and coffee" or "People like going to the local sushi cafe" or 
> even, "I don't know. Most people around here make their own lunch 
> arrangements."
> 
> None of these answers are good or bad in the abstract. However, each 
> tells you something about the corporate culture and the people you'll be 
> spending your day with.

Not really. If somebody says "I eat bread and water everyday" are you to assume
they are all prisoners? I mean what the hell can you really infer from these
questions? Is muffin consumption directly or indirectly related to assholism?
If 20 liters of coffee are consumed in 2 hours, how many people get on in
Phoenix after the train has traveled 1092 kilometers? If people eat sushi, are
the ALL pretentious yuppies? I eat gardenburgers a lot, some people might infer
I was some vegetarian hippy. Do I sound (look, smell, taste) like a vegetarian
hippy? 

> In my own case, for example, an answer that might suggest that the 
> company wasn't a good fit might be, "We go to MacDonald's takeout 
> counter." I happen to loathe MacDonald's, and, without being openly 
> fanatical, I regard it, like all fast food joints, as purveyor of cheap 
> and unappealing merchandise, the triumph of hype over content, and 
> generally symptomatic of some of the basic ills in our culture. I would 
> much rather spend a little extra for one of my favorite ethnic cusines, 
> or for something new. So a company whose employees regularly frequented 
>   MacDonald's would probably be a poor fit for me.

Oh brother. I feel the exact same way about Thai food. Everybody in high-tech
is always glad-handing each other so they can be all "international" and choke
down some Peanut Butter Capt'N Chicken Curry at Thai Terror. I HATE Thai food.
And when I hear some SUV driving cumquat chirps how he wants to get Thai food,
I want to drop an A-Bomb in his pants. 

Okay, maybe I am insane. But, I guess I just don't read this much into these
trivial manners. I am way more interested in bigger issues, like how much money
they have and who is the competition. Its my feeling that a work environment is
ultimately what you make of it. And things like where people eat, are not
always the most reliable barometers for the health of a work place. Maybe the
health of an individual person, but not an entire workplace. 

> Obviously, I wouldn't turn down a job solely on the answer to this 
> question, but it might make stop and think.

I think it's digging a bit deep into the trivial bin. However - why should this
surprise me? This is after all the same place where people riot over commas and
fonts. 

Andrew Plato 

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