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Chinese Tech Companies Hire 'Cheerleaders' To Motivate Programmers
HughPickens.com writes: Lauren O'Neil writes at CBC News that internet companies "across China" are hiring "pretty, talented girls that help create a fun work environment." Dubbed "programming cheerleaders," these young women serve to chit-chat, play Ping-Pong with employees as part of their role, and sometimes smile and clap for male employees who play guitar in the office, as indicated by photos posted to the news service's verified "Trending in China" Facebook page. "According to the HR manager of an Internet company that hired three such cheerleaders, its programmers are mostly male and terrible at socializing," reads China.org.cn's Facebook post. "The presence of these girls have greatly improved their job efficiency and motivation."
However people from all over the world have weighed in to decry the reported role. "This is degrading — both to the 'cheerleaders' and the programmers," wrote one commenter on the original post. "Look at the face of the poor woman programmer in the second picture. Stereotypical 'bro' culture only now with Chinese subtitles." Others suggest that the company pictured should simply hire more female programmers. "What a ridiculous job, why reduce women to only be valued by their looks and to assist males. Let them have a job at the desk using their minds!" wrote one woman.
However people from all over the world have weighed in to decry the reported role. "This is degrading — both to the 'cheerleaders' and the programmers," wrote one commenter on the original post. "Look at the face of the poor woman programmer in the second picture. Stereotypical 'bro' culture only now with Chinese subtitles." Others suggest that the company pictured should simply hire more female programmers. "What a ridiculous job, why reduce women to only be valued by their looks and to assist males. Let them have a job at the desk using their minds!" wrote one woman.
TFA quotes a critic who said: "it's like bringing Hooters to [the] workplace."
The reporter omitted the rest of the quote, which might have provided some balance by explaining how there's also some kind of downside.
Pretending this is my office full of bitter coworkers..
the cheerleader playing ping-pong in those high heels is asking for a broken ankle.
Dude, the idea is that in heels she will miss every shot... thus having to walk slowly over to the ball, then bend over to carefully pick up said ball.
Clearly you did not think this all the way through. Bro card suspension: One Week.
Pretending this is my office full of bitter coworkers..
No, she's the one who suggested hiring the female cheerleaders. With them around her male coworkers aren't doing as much so she has fewer of their mistakes to fix.
I prefer Krusty the Clown's Chinese factory motivational sayings via loudspeaker: "Laziness is counter-revolutionary. Questions are decadent! Fast hands mean less whipping."
Help fight poverty: Punch a poor person.
coding with a boner is always more fun.
It's a requirement if you want to hit the more complex emacs commands.