[maxaf]

Your point of view is considered scandalous by the local audience, but I'm inclined to agree. I was born in the Soviet Union and grew up in 1990s Russia after history threw a few sucker punches in our direction. I can say from watching my parents and other adults that "shut up & do your job no matter what" was a common enough sentiment that to me it might as well be the only possible truth.

Here and now, in late capitalism, we seem to be aspiring to some other arrangement, which is commendable in itself, but I observe it with healthy skepticism. It is my responsibility to make myself happy. I'm lucky to have a boss who cares about my well-being, but I see his efforts as secondary and something to be leveraged in order to improve the company as a whole, not somehow make me happier as a person. I'll take care of that last part myself.

Edit: a late-breaking thought I would like to include. He who externalizes happiness is bound to be disappointed, as the incentive is simply missing to make others happy without asking for anything is return. Better learn to DIY happiness.

[toomuchtodo]

I was born in US midwest, and am in my mid 30s. I do not go to work to make friends or to be social. I will be polite, but I am there to get paid. I provide labor, and in return I receive money.

Socializing is for outside my 40 hours/week, with those I chose, not those my employer chooses. The touchy feely family feeling isn't for me.

[maxaf]

Exactly! That's why we have separate words for "family" and "colleagues".

[rootusrootus]

That seems healthy. I am a newly minted manager and maybe I'm going about this the wrong way, but I try to ensure the people reporting to me are happy at work. Within the bounds of meeting the needs of the company, of course, since we are professionals. I try to encourage my people to have a healthy relationship with the office and their peers, be realistic, etc, partly because I like them as people but a certain aspect of it is that I want us all to be successful and productive as a team. As to their personal happiness it really isn't my place nor within my skills to work on. I'm not a therapist.