Morale Boosters

Sometimes those who lose their jobs are better off than the employees who are left behind.

My brother told me about the meager ways in which his employer tries to boost employee morale after cutting jobs and throwing even more work without additional pay on those who remain.

"First they gave employees who were recognized with doing exemplary work HELIUM BALLOONS to “proudly” display in their cubicles. Then two nights ago, they provided banana splits…not from a nice place, just scooping ice cream out of what came from the grocery store, sliced bananas, and cheap toppings. Gosh, they must have spent a whopping $25 for this one. Now I hear today they are really going deep into their pockets and providing cookies!"

Sounds like a party for kids, not rewards for adults. This leads me to an obvious conclusion: Employers are patriarchs who treat their employees like children.

My former employer sometimes gave us catered food left over from an executive meeting held in the company's boardroom. Employees were encouraged to have potluck lunches once a month at which drawings was held for gift certificates donated by the employer. We were expected to be grateful for these small favors, which I now recognize as bribes so employees won't complain when they are not happy or treated well.

Instead of trying to boost morale, employers should concentrate their efforts on retaining employees by providing meaningful rewards for work well done.