Workplace morale boosting ideas NYC

I just read a recent New York Times opinion piece, and maybe you did to: “Congratulations! You’ve Been Fired” by Dan Lyons. The premise is downright scary: Mr. Lyons describes a modern workplace which, for all of its technologies and perks, actually resembles turn-of-the-century sweatshops. Long grueling hours, yes – but also perpetual monitoring of employee productivity, merciless performance reviews, and absolutely zero job security. People are routinely fired without warning and, seemingly, without cause, by a disconnected and unfeeling “management” which often is barely old enough to even be in the workforce at all.

To me, this dystopian view of today’s office environment has traces of George Orwell’s 1984 as well, in the form of Doublespeak and propaganda. Lyons talks about the prevalence of “indoctrination” into the tech workplace culture bordering on joining a cult, with rampant overuse of platitudes aimed at staff such as “rock stars” and “innovators” – as well as hackneyed empty buzzwords like “data driven” and “grown hacking.”

I read this article, and I have to tell you, it made me feel horrible. First of all, I can’t imagine that things in the modern office are THAT bad – but then again, I’ve never worked in a tech startup or other “cool” company, and in fact haven’t even worked at an office for over four years, since I’m self-employed. But I have to wonder: IS there any truth to this bleak picture drawn by the author?

Let me first look to my own personal experience, rather than professional. I’ve worked at “sweatshop” environments in the past, and what Lyons is describing does in fact sound somewhat familiar. My past was in PR, not tech – it was also a decade ago, so no such thing as social media, apps, or any of the other things which today’s knowledge workers employed at startups are likely toiling away at. But I imagine the “feel” was the same: a highly stressful environment punctuated by tight deadlines, anxious bosses, and a seemingly endless avalanche of work. Especially at the junior level where I was at, the attitude was definitely one of “churn and burn,” in that they deliberately piled as much crap on us worker bees as they possibly could, knowing we’d either thrive or break. Those who thrived, moved up the ranks. Those who broke, well – we started trivia companies.

But still, was it really THAT bad? I mean, as bad as described in this article? No. People didn’t get fired for no reason, nobody was purposefully embarrassed or publicly shamed, and there was a sense that, even though morale was poor and there never seemed to be any light at the end of the tunnel, that smart people were somehow firmly in control of the place.

I’ve also worked in environments where there was an emphasis on buzzwords, on inflating the team’s ego with words like “superstars” and “invaluable,” when really we were as disposable as Kleenex (and FELT like it). Again, however, the only difference between this and what’s depicted here is that people weren’t ACTUALLY fired on a whim; rather, we were squeezed for all of our worth, and then sent out to pasture – where we ultimately realized our path had ended, and sought more fulfilling work elsewhere.

But that’s just me, and my rather narrow exposure to the working world. What about all of the other knowledge workers out there? I actually have a unique perspective on them as well, given I own a NYC team building activities company. Ever since I started doing this line of work ten years ago, it’s as if I’ve had a peephole I could peer into to see what it’s like to work in a myriad of industries I’ve never actually worked in: law, investment banking, engineering, programming, technology, accounting, medicine, advertising – you name it. I personalize each of these events based on the specific groups in attendance, as well as their individual goals and objectives. I see the actual people, live and in the flesh, as they interact with one another (and with me) at my custom corporate trivia parties in Manhattan and elsewhere. So what have I observed?

I gotta tell you, I haven’t seen what’s described in this NYT piece. Maybe these groups hide it well, or maybe whatever power struggles and drama that occur during work hours disappear once the party gets started (though I doubt it). Are groups stressed? Yes. Are they always cheery and happy, ready to conquer the world? Of course not. But do they look like they’ve just stepped out of The Hunger Games or something? Please.

The whole reason I started my own company and entered this career field in the first place was because I wanted to improve the way people feel when they’re at work. I truly believe, both from my own personal experience and that I’ve been privy to of others, that a happy workplace where people are treated with respect, encouraged, motivated to do good work and properly rewarded for their efforts, will have real tangible benefits; happy staff means better collaboration and communication, improved efficiency, higher quality service, better products and, ultimately, happier customers. And what business doesn’t want happier customers, who will not only stay loyal, but evangelize to others and hopefully gain even more business?

I’m not a research scientist, and I haven’t gone through the hellfire of working in a tech startup as the author of this article has described. However, I simply cannot allow myself to believe that things are truly THAT horrific in the contemporary workplace. Maybe I’m deluding myself, I don’t know…I sure as anything don’t WANT to believe it’s true, that I can tell you! If it really is that bad out there, no group bonding event, no matter how fun or customized, is going to change things. It will take a broad, sustained effort to get back on track, and to recognize once again that work is done by people – our most valuable commodity.