Slashdot Mirror
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.
... just not the execution of it.
Having a dedicated staff to driving the culture of your company can have a huge impact and pay massive dividends in retention, employee satisfaction, and willingness to go the extra mile.
One of my previous employers had an employee that started out as a receptionist. She always decorated for the holidays, and she was super social, so she organized extra circular activities. Bowling leagues, wine tastings, etc... She was also tasked with organizing our holiday party, summer picnic, office Olympics, city scour scavenger hunt, and tons of other ideas she helped build in the company.
Eventually, it became clear that these tasks took too much time for her to also be the receptionist, so the CEO created a new position for her to focus on the corporate culture, events, and social media.
Best decision he made. She wasn't a cheer leader running around in a short skirt, but her efforts to make the company a fun place to work were way more impactful than any executive direction.
-Rick
"Most people in the U.S. wouldn't know they live in a tyrannical state if it walked up and grabbed their junk." - MyFirs
I think it's a cultural thing, but I'm largely talking out of my ass.
In Asian cultures (from my limited exposure from TV and the like) there seems to be a much higher prevalence of this "curated enthusiasm" as well as the accompanying "hostess" type things where the perky young girls are there to keep the enthusiasm up.
From the Japanese tendency to have that morning "let's all go" thing, to the hostesses in Karaoke bars it's there but I've never grokked it.
This would seriously annoy the hell out of me, but my threshold for perky and enthusiastic is pretty much nil.
Lost at C:>. Found at C.
Don't diss Hooters: A few years back, I had Hooters as a client, and I can assure you that their senior management is a) mostly former Hooters girls, and b) not at all afraid to show a LOT of cleavage (or even crack off-color jokes). It was actually a bit distracting at times, but you get used to it. (And I'm definitely not complaining.)
I visited the offices of the largest Hooters franchise several times, and the women (almost all former Hooters girls) there outnumbered the men by 2 or 3 to 1. That said, they have fun, but it is an impressively professionally-run organization - of the restaurant chains I worked with only two were more professional, and they were tops in the industry.
It might work if the girls are there to provide "stress relief". It's kind of like some companies where they bring in some massage therapists to give free massages to employees who want one. That's about the only way I can see this "programmer cheerleader" concept working.
Respect the laws of physics, for the laws of physics have no respect for you.
you said
I can't see how this would be anything but a distraction and counter-productive.
TFA said
"The presence of these girls have greatly improved their job efficiency and motivation."
Personally, I find that when I'm happy I'm far more productive than when I'm unhappy.
"Wasting" time improving my mood could easily result in more useful work being done overall.