# Stupid Popularity Contest At Work



## Cool Ice Dude55 (Jan 7, 2014)

my stupid organisation is organising it's annual award show for the employees. You can vote for staff member of the year, team of the year, newcomer etc.

I've worked in many organisations before and have never heard the like. I think it is utterly obnoxious. I think such practises should be banned. It only brings out the worst in people. Jealously, righteousness, bitterness etc.

Whatever happened to going to work, doing your job, and going home? Not bringing a daft popularity contest into the mix!

I found out me boss isn't going to be voting for me in the 'best newcomer' despite me being his minion. I have to say that did make me angry, and I'm not a jealous type.  If it has the power to make me feel like that, how can it make more jealous people feel 

Needless to say I refused to vote in this popularity contest. And I despise working at a company that does such things. i'm looking forward to moving company next year.


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## versikk (Nov 25, 2013)

I think my organisation has manager of the year or something.

They can all fkk off.

Work is a huge part of people's social life. That's why there's after work parties, christmas parties, kick off events and all kinds of idiotic social bonding. Of course I cannot objectively say that these activities are bad. I dislike them very much however. Maybe it's because I am too different from almost anyone and can't really be friends with people and don't want people in my brain?


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## leamizda (Aug 24, 2017)

versikk said:


> Maybe it's because I am too different from almost anyone and can't really be friends with people and don't want people in my brain?


I don't think so, even the most loved and popular people thinks social events at work are useless and bad... in every technology company I worked the CEO made sure there will be social events to finish the year to give a good impression as a company about a good work life, frienship and cooperation (which is a lie), and at the end give a glorious speech (full of lies too), because the company itself is a big lie, very few companies offers something good to society and their most basic thing like their mission is a big lie, everything and everybody is fake in the workplace, and normally the CEO look at us like animals and at the end of the year the CEO want to give those animals the things he suspect a animal deserves: dumb events, games, food, drinks.

But Cool Ice Dude55 is telling us another thing, I agree popularity contest only brings out the worst in people, but at the end in a company there is a popularity contest everyday, the ones who win everyday get laughs, congratulations, everything is forgotten and even the bad actions are encouraged, and people who cant tolerate bullies or gossip are the ones who get isolated and even hated, getting false rumors, lies and so on...

Hi Cool Ice Dude55, seems like i keep commenting in your threads, I wish you can find a company with a more cooperative and serious work culture next year


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## versikk (Nov 25, 2013)

leamizda said:


> I don't think so, even the most loved and popular people thinks social events at work are useless and bad... in every technology company I worked the CEO made sure there will be social events to finish the year to give a good impression as a company about a good work life, frienship and cooperation (which is a lie), and at the end give a glorious speech (full of lies too), because the company itself is a big lie, very few companies offers something good to society and their most basic thing like their mission is a big lie, everything and everybody is fake in the workplace, and normally the CEO look at us like animals and at the end of the year the CEO want to give those animals the things he suspect a animal deserves: dumb events, games, food, drinks.
> 
> But Cool Ice Dude55 is telling us another thing, I agree popularity contest only brings out the worst in people, but at the end in a company there is a popularity contest everyday, the ones who win everyday get laughs, congratulations, everything is forgotten and even the bad actions are encouraged, and people who cant tolerate bullies or gossip are the ones who get isolated and even hated, getting false rumors, lies and so on...
> 
> Hi Cool Ice Dude55, seems like i keep commenting in your threads, I wish you can find a company with a more cooperative and serious work culture next year


I like your style


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## SilentLyric (Aug 20, 2012)

that seems like some high school stuff.


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## leamizda (Aug 24, 2017)

versikk said:


> I like your style


thank you, I really think CEOs can look at us like animals, for example if you are training your dog and he does everything well you give your dog the things you think he deserves because of doing a good job, normally one of the dog favourite food or a pat, and at the end of the year we get everything we animals deserve for working hard all year and doing well our jobs, dumb games, events, food, drinks... I never saw a CEO participating of those games and events. But we are not animals, the things we really need are being able to spend more time with our families, getting support on our careers with courses, getting skills and knowledge and we need a more cooperative workplace, where people arent trated like trash.



SilentLyric said:


> that seems like some high school stuff.


It's highschool all over again, highschool never ends if people doesn't change their mindset they got for being programmed by the education system, if you escape from that mindset people will think you have a problem


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## versikk (Nov 25, 2013)

leamizda said:


> thank you, I really think CEOs can look at us like animals, for example if you are training your dog and he does everything well you give your dog the things you think he deserves because of doing a good job, normally one of the dog favourite food or a pat, and at the end of the year we get everything we animals deserve for working hard all year and doing well our jobs, dumb games, events, food, drinks... I never saw a CEO participating of those games and events. But we are not animals, the things we really need are being able to spend more time with our families, getting support on our careers with courses, getting skills and knowledge and we need a more cooperative workplace, where people arent trated like trash.
> 
> It's highschool all over again, highschool never ends if people doesn't change their mindset they got for being programmed by the education system, if you escape from that mindset people will think you have a problem


You're talking a whole lot of sense, it's crazy


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## 917554 (Nov 21, 2017)

I think they are to motivate workers to do better and increase sales for the company and they could become employee of the month. It can be hard to get with the social side of work if you are not on the same wavelength as your coworkers. I'm usually the odd one out. I didn't believe in nice people at work but I've met some nice people where I worked for 2 months. But there are some coworkers who do douchey things and are lazy but get the most praise and are liked by everyone else. Sad world we live in


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## komorikun (Jan 11, 2009)

HollowAraman said:


> *I think they are to motivate workers to do better and increase sales for the company and they could become employee of the month.* It can be hard to get with the social side of work if you are not on the same wavelength as your coworkers. I'm usually the odd one out. I didn't believe in nice people at work but I've met some nice people where I worked for 2 months. But there are some coworkers who do douchey things and are lazy but get the most praise and are liked by everyone else. Sad world we live in


It's a way to motivate people without giving them more money. :serious:


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## Blue Dino (Aug 17, 2013)

HollowAraman said:


> I think they are to motivate workers to do better and increase sales for the company and they could become employee of the month. It can be hard to get with the social side of work if you are not on the same wavelength as your coworkers. I'm usually the odd one out. I didn't believe in nice people at work but I've met some nice people where I worked for 2 months. But there are some coworkers who do douchey things and are lazy but get the most praise and are liked by everyone else. Sad world we live in


This. It is to drive competitiveness. But it could also be very counterproductive as it could spurn jealousy and drama in the workplace. I think lots of more modern and newer culture workplaces have phase them out. Usually is a thing in older culture workplace with older managers.


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## 917554 (Nov 21, 2017)

komorikun said:


> It's a way to motivate people without giving them more money. :serious:


Yeah. Companies are quite stingy. Most places are understaffed and the pressure is just too much. Moreso for me anyways


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## 917554 (Nov 21, 2017)

Blue Dino said:


> This. It is to drive competitiveness. But it could also be very counterproductive as it could spurn jealousy and drama in the workplace. I think lots of more modern and newer culture workplaces have phase them out. Usually is a thing in older culture workplace with older managers.


I would be there for it if there was a monetary award. Again career counsellors say that the title is good on your CV. Always have to go the extra mile they say. But I'm usually there for the money (if it's the right amount tho)


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## Blue Dino (Aug 17, 2013)

HollowAraman said:


> I would be there for it if there was a monetary award. Again career counsellors say that *the title is good on your CV.* Always have to go the extra mile they say. But I'm usually there for the money (if it's the right amount tho)


I doubt many hiring managers in any sort of relevant career workplaces will care about something as trivial as that. Even if they do, they will figure it's something you could easily make up yourself.


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## googled2 (Nov 26, 2017)

Pathetic.

This is why I applied for graduate medicine. I'm not lowering myself again to this type of work.


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## 917554 (Nov 21, 2017)

Good for you


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## veron (Apr 29, 2009)

Oh my god, that's stupid. I never understood the point of prom king and queen either. It's to make one boy and girl feel special, and all the others as lesser beings?


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## thinkstoomuch103 (Nov 28, 2017)

OP,

I agree with what you're saying. The moment you talked about this, the first thing i thought of was High School, or even worse, Home-coming prom night, silliness.

Who gets voted "Most Popular", "King and Queen", who gets the flowers, crowns and the catwalk.

Glad you are able to vent about it. And no, you're not wrong in the way you see it.

I used to work corporate, and we even had this silliness in the medical field. As adults that supposed to have graduated from college.

As far as I've observed, people don't laugh, and congratulate, and a hee-hee and a ha-ha, and it's over. Everyone isn't normal. 

There are some, just as they still do in high-school, that will SEETHE all the way into the next year about who overlooked them, or why their competitor was picked - and they obviously weren't worthy. 

People in general are competitive, petty, and hate when others win at something they feel they should have gotten naturally.

Lord, next thing you know, females AND males will start sleeping with their superiors for "brownie points" "props" or "votes."

What was worse, in several of our facilities in the medical field? Was public shaming.

If you screwed up? And a patient complained, our supervisors didn't tell the personnel about it. Guess what they did?

They posted the patient's complaint (whether it was a lie or not) right up there in the personnel meetings on the power point - with your name on it - for everyone to see.

This is the opposite of what your company is doing. Public shaming to promote better customer care or service.


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## thisismeyo (Feb 15, 2013)

My old work had something similar. The winners got gift cards


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## Mlt18 (Jun 29, 2016)

That's lame imo. I don't like the idea of mixing work with personal life at all. There's definitely cliques at my job which is funny because some of them pretend to be friends but still talk **** behind each other's back, and try to screw each other over if the opportunity presents itself. No one is really friends, they just do and say whatever benefits them at the time to secure an advantage. The whole idea to make work more social and connected is just for show.


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## Gorgoroth9 (Jul 4, 2016)

I wouldn't enjoy it, but for whatever reason people like these things. We have so many potlucks at my work. I hate setting up for them and decorating when I want nothing to do with most people, or the food for the most part. It just makes socializing part of my job, which is of course, my least favorite thing about work in the first place.


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## VerdeLemon (Dec 15, 2016)

Oh my god..at my workplace they made me compete ON MY VERY FIRST DAY with another coworker..also her first day about who could finish folding our table first and most who did it most neatly. Well the other girl "won" and the supervisor took pictures of her table and congratulated her while he said nothing to me even though I finished a bit later I did it right too. Competing happens when you have a set of skills acquired at work and not when you are a clueless newbie without training. Needless to say I went away after a month and want to go back to school now.


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