[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.

[nknighthb]

> act like these businesses have done me personal harm

Two of them have done me serious personal harm. I can quantify the financial harm (it's somewhere north of $200,000 at this point). I can't quantify the psychological harm, nor, at this point, can I quantify the stress-related physiological harm.

[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...