[pgmcgee]

You do realize that these things cost real money, right? Costing money for meaningless, valueless endeavors makes a business's overhead go up. When the overhead goes up, it has to be cut in other ways, usually by cutting employees. Unfortunately, that's difficult in France, which is why he is complaining. It's not sociopathy, it's business.

[briandon]

Meaningless, valueless endeavors like the once-a-week meeting that Haan was terrified of having to have with representatives of his own workforce? Or is government mandated profit-sharing the meaningless valueless endeavor?

Somehow, inexplicably, these pernicious overheads never manage to take a significant toll on of executive compensation, perks, and the like.