[tommorris]

A particularly cynical person might look at these things as a way to try and keep you in the office for as long as possible, something to numb the pain of long hours and broken management.

"Sure, we had to work until midnight, but there was pizza" rings a bit hollow when you are older, have kids or other forms of life outside work.

[rfrey]

Absolutely true -- But I think the parent's point is that it can also mean pizza and beer at 3:00 on Fridays, and ping-pong in the break room whenever you need a break.

Lots of companies do try to create fun, relaxed atmospheres... I wonder how they can let people know (and why shouldn't they?) without getting lumped in with the type of company you mention?

[nknighthb]

> it can also mean pizza and beer at 3:00 on Fridays

Which means my last chance to accomplish critical tasks before the weekend is hosed, because there's a bunch of noisy, unproductive, drunk idiots around who won't answer questions and keep trying to push their idiot-sauce onto me.

> ping-pong in the break room whenever you need a break

So whoever sits near the break room can't get anything done because there's always noisy, unproductive, screaming idiots hitting a ball around.

> getting lumped in with the type of company you mention

As if the type you mentioned is superior?

[raverbashing]

So whoever drinks beer, eats pizza or plays ping pong is a "noisy idiot"?

Yes, break rooms should have proper acoustical isolation, or be adequately placed apart.

Beyond that, noise cancelling headphones does wonders!

[nknighthb]

> So whoever drinks beer, eats pizza or plays ping pong is a "noisy idiot"?

If you want to interpret it that way, fine. I really don't care. You interfere with my work and try to shove an addictive, brain-freezing drug on me (no matter how many times I tell you my family history says stay the fuck away). Yes, you're noisy idiots. If you like, I can come up with different, even more insulting descriptions that I think fit even better.

> Yes, break rooms should have proper acoustical isolation, or be adequately placed apart.

They don't. Welcome to the real world.

> Beyond that, noise cancelling headphones does wonders!

I shouldn't have to isolate myself from an environment intended for doing work in order to do work.

It's an office. If it's not for getting work done, why am I in it? Why can't I just work from home? Why is the business spending money on it in the first place? Get rid of it and use the savings to pay me more.

[_qhtn]

Is it exhausting being better than everyone else?

[reginaldjcooper]

You have no idea. Not only do these plebs keep paying a few hundred a month for beers and pizza instead of giving it to me, they are constantly playing ping-pong in the same goddamn building. I don't want to work there so much that I am offended by the job description.

</sarcasm>

I actually don't want to work somewhere like that and I also have a family history, but it's not necessary to call it idiot-juice and act like these businesses have done me personal harm and these people are all stupid for enjoying it.

[dspeyer]

I've often had "break for pizza and similar from 4-5 on fridays and then go back to work" as a pattern (I tend to get in at 11, so I'm not leaving at 5 anyway). Some chaotic interaction with co-workers tends to be a good thing.

[viraptor]

> So whoever sits near the break room can't get anything done

Why do you want to do anything in the break room, apart from... you know, having a break / fun while away from the keyboard?

[nknighthb]

I don't. There is no implication of being "in the break room". You've badly misread something.

[viraptor]

Ok, near the break room, not in the break room. So why not ask to be moved somewhere else? I do understand that it can be annoying, sure. But I think you're making the problem bigger than it actually is. Or maybe really just not happy with the whole company environment in that case?

[nknighthb]

> So why not ask to be moved somewhere else?

What kind of utopia do you live in? Just getting out of a cubicle on the wrong side of the building with three extremely loud people took months.

> I think you're making the problem bigger than it actually is.

I'm so happy that you are omniscient and know exactly what it was like and can authoritatively state how big a problem it is. You make my life complete. Please continue to tell me which other things I just imagined to have destroyed my psyche, since you are obviously so qualified to dictate what I have or have not experienced in my life.

[tommorris]

The company I currently contract for have a fun and relaxed environment. There is beer in the fridge on Fridays and an at-cost bar shared with other occupants in the building.

None of these things were discussed during the hiring process. They are a nice little bonus.

[Ntrails]

Man I'd love to be able to play half an hour of table tennis to chill when stuck on something. Instead I do equally unproductive things like commenting on Hacker News - which isn't even good for my health...