Do you find the Walmart cheer endearing, creepy or annoying?

[Xprimentyl]

It?s annoying. Annoying as PISS. It?s an insult to and ASSAult on the intelligence and dignity of all those involved. I work in corporate America, and this kind of lock-step, pep rally bullshit is one of the worst examples of it. You cannot mandate fun, enthusiasm, camaraderie, etc. all those things this kind of nonsense tries to cultivate, yet all the ?How to Business? books sell something to this extent. The problem is, it?s always the people on top of the pecking order who think this stuff works and is a good idea, and why wouldn?t they when their position has created beneath them a bunch of Yes Men/Women who wouldn?t DARE challenge them? Point in case: just yesterday, my job kicked off ?Spirit Week,? and it started with the members of the Office of the CEO literally hooting, hollering and blowing horns in the faces of everyone as we walked through the door. All the sheep smiled, laughed and played along, and as soon as everyone got to their respective desks, EVERYONE bitched about how obnoxious it was, how of all the ways to kick off a Monday morning, THAT was worst. But I guaran-fucking-tee you, that feedback never made it back to the CEOs who are probably still patting themselves on the dick for being such ?great motivators.? Even now, as I sit at my desk, my ears are being bombarded by loud pop music from our rotunda and some corporate shill screaming into a microphone (day 2 of 5 for Spirit Week,) and it?s having the exact OPPOSITE effect.

Hahahahahaha!!! Yes!!! You nailed it! Yesterday, I nearly WAS the ?angel of death;? when I?m hungover and on my way to a job I hate on objectively the worst day of the week and before I?ve had my first cup of coffee, screaming in my face is the salted rim on the perfect cocktail for one?s personal ruin. Thankfully, I?ve no access to firearms and a general aversion to violence and prison, sooo?.

 

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

Americans... they're just a little bit weird, that's all.

To be fair the entire world is a little bit weird, its just we Americans are really loud about it

 

[Chimpzy_v1legacy]

This kind of reminds me of the stuff they do at a lot of Japanese companies to improve productivity and morale, like mandatory morning speeches/songs/exercises, mandatory weekend sports activities and mandatory after hours drinking parties.

Seeing the high rate of death related to work stress in Japan, I'm not surprised.

As far as I know, they're to promote company spirit or somesuch, and I don't know if they are also meant to counter death from overworking i.e. karoshi.

In either case, the long working hours of the Japanese have various factors at their roots, largely having to do with Japanese traditional culture placing a high value on effort and sacrifice, in combination with stubbornly holding onto outdated and inefficient work practices (possibly because they once did work, in the 70s/80s). While I may be wrong, it doesn't seem like adding extra mandatory hours doing work-related stuff that isn't actually getting shit done on top of those working hours is an expedient way of resolving those root issues.

 

[Xprimentyl]

I'll give them an A for attempting to instill some sense of positivity and comradery, good on them.

There are too many negative nancies in the world.

I can?t tell if you?re being ironic or if you?re honestly just na?ve (not meant as an insult, but the very literal definition of the word,) but what you?re witnessing is NOT an earnest effort to instill positivity. This is yet another example of a corporate machine engorging itself on the dignity of its myriad cogs and wheels under the guise of ?fun.? You might as well be witnessing a slave owner making his slaves sing and dance for his own personal whimsy. That?s not being negative; it?s being pragmatic. I?ve seen it too many times: some out-of-touch executive dreams up and mandates what his subordinates ?WILL enjoy,? and it becomes law, or at the very least, the barometer by which individuals? adherence to company tenets is measured; take it from someone whose lack of ?team player-ness? has basically become his defining characteristic.

 

[PsychedelicDiamond]

This is why we need socialism.

 

[Wintermute_v1legacy]

It's a great way to really connect with your employees.

 

[Abomination]

Anything that is mandatory has a negative effect on morale. If the thing designed to improve morale is mandatory it will reduce morale by the exact amount it is supposed to raise morale by.

This kind of shit is fucking creepy.

 

[McElroy]

This is why we need socialism.

Only the naturally cheerful are given jobs. Or the obedient. Sounds good either way.

 

[jademunky]

Holy shit that is creepy. I mean, just talk about missing the point of morale and loyalty entirely. Like it was acted out by some alien species who had never met a human being but just learned about them from television.

 

[Drathnoxis]

Watching that gives me the urge to kill myself.

 

[Gordon_4_v1legacy]

I look at this kind of madness and I wonder if it would even be legal in Australia.

 

[Chewster]

Snip-idee-doo-dah

Now people in Korea just drink themselves into a coma to cope with how ridiculously overworked they are. Not as healthy but definitely more fun.

Maybe Walmart could start handing out gin rations instead.

 

[Tanis]

I've been forced to participate in it...

It's creep AF. NOBODY likes doing it.

 

[Schtimpy]

Just a little "hey, I work at a Walmart" snippet here, but:

Co-worker: Whooo! Cap 2, We wrecked it today, High five!

me: no

Co-worker: Come on, where's your Walmart SPARK? I see your spark, and you do good work

me: no

Co-worker: Give me a W, Give me a A

me: I will fucking cut you*

... and my crew burst out laughing. If they made the Walmart chant a thing, most of us would leave. Thank god its only in "meetings" or i wouldn't have my slightly above min-wage job.

l
l
l
l


*with a box cutter, which we are supposed to be supplied with, but I have 8 and have given two to co-workers. Who were not provided w/ box cutters.

 

[bluegate]

I'll give them an A for attempting to instill some sense of positivity and comradery, good on them.

There are too many negative nancies in the world.

I can?t tell if you?re being ironic or if you?re honestly just na?ve (not meant as an insult, but the very literal definition of the word,) but what you?re witnessing is NOT an earnest effort to instill positivity. This is yet another example of a corporate machine engorging itself on the dignity of its myriad cogs and wheels under the guise of ?fun.? You might as well be witnessing a slave owner making his slaves sing and dance for his own personal whimsy. That?s not being negative; it?s being pragmatic. I?ve seen it too many times: some out-of-touch executive dreams up and mandates what his subordinates ?WILL enjoy,? and it becomes law, or at the very least, the barometer by which individuals? adherence to company tenets is measured; take it from someone whose lack of ?team player-ness? has basically become his defining characteristic.

You sound like a very happy person.

Having participated in similar things and having attended several "mandatory" company social events, I find these kinds of things to be rather fun, or should I say funny, something to play along with in a silly mood and then laugh about later. I tried the whole "You can't force me to do anything!"-'contrarian' ( recalcitrant may be a better word? ) shtick in middle school and found that sometimes life's just more fun if you go along with things a bit🤷

 

[DeadProxy]

I'll give them an A for attempting to instill some sense of positivity and comradery, good on them.

There are too many negative nancies in the world.

I can?t tell if you?re being ironic or if you?re honestly just na?ve (not meant as an insult, but the very literal definition of the word,) but what you?re witnessing is NOT an earnest effort to instill positivity. This is yet another example of a corporate machine engorging itself on the dignity of its myriad cogs and wheels under the guise of ?fun.? You might as well be witnessing a slave owner making his slaves sing and dance for his own personal whimsy. That?s not being negative; it?s being pragmatic. I?ve seen it too many times: some out-of-touch executive dreams up and mandates what his subordinates ?WILL enjoy,? and it becomes law, or at the very least, the barometer by which individuals? adherence to company tenets is measured; take it from someone whose lack of ?team player-ness? has basically become his defining characteristic.

You sound like a very happy person.

Having participated in similar things and having attended several "mandatory" company social events, I find these kinds of things to be rather fun, or should I say funny, something to play along with in a silly mood and then laugh about later. I tried the whole "You can't force me to do anything!"-'contrarian' ( recalcitrant may be a better word? ) shtick in middle school and found that sometimes life's just more fun if you go along with things a bit🤷

Being a part of group humiliation every day, 5-6 days a week, for years is different than going to a company outing a couple times a month/year. It's a piss-poor attempt at team building, cause it's something no one WANTS to do, but as a team is forced to, and I guess that's supposed to unite us in our collective hate of the cheer as peons at the bottom of the ladder and we should just shut up and follow the overlords orders.
Forced participation wasn't fun when it was in school, and it's worse when done to grown adults. I just want to get work done and go home.

 

[cathou]

when i was working at Best Buy, we had a similar practice in the morning, bu it was just a team cheer before the morning meeting began, so it wasnt really invasive, you clap your hand for 30 seconds, say the store name 2-3 times, that's it. i guess the elaboration of the cheer vary from store to store... i remember that there was something more elaborate done in the morning or really big day, like boxing day.

not sure if they still do that today

 

[bluegate]

Being a part of group humiliation every day, 5-6 days a week, for years is different than going to a company outing a couple times a month/year. It's a piss-poor attempt at team building, cause it's something no one WANTS to do, but as a team is forced to, and I guess that's supposed to unite us in our collective hate of the cheer as peons at the bottom of the ladder and we should just shut up and follow the overlords orders.
Forced participation wasn't fun when it was in school, and it's worse when done to grown adults. I just want to get work done and go home.

I guess that's a difference of mentality then, I don't perceive it as humiliation, I don't mind if I look dumb doing it, I just laugh at it, play along and go on with the rest of work when all's said and done.

 

[Xprimentyl]

I'll give them an A for attempting to instill some sense of positivity and comradery, good on them.

There are too many negative nancies in the world.

I can?t tell if you?re being ironic or if you?re honestly just na?ve (not meant as an insult, but the very literal definition of the word,) but what you?re witnessing is NOT an earnest effort to instill positivity. This is yet another example of a corporate machine engorging itself on the dignity of its myriad cogs and wheels under the guise of ?fun.? You might as well be witnessing a slave owner making his slaves sing and dance for his own personal whimsy. That?s not being negative; it?s being pragmatic. I?ve seen it too many times: some out-of-touch executive dreams up and mandates what his subordinates ?WILL enjoy,? and it becomes law, or at the very least, the barometer by which individuals? adherence to company tenets is measured; take it from someone whose lack of ?team player-ness? has basically become his defining characteristic.

You sound like a very happy person.

Having participated in similar things and having attended several "mandatory" company social events, I find these kinds of things to be rather fun, or should I say funny, something to play along with in a silly mood and then laugh about later. I tried the whole "You can't force me to do anything!"-'contrarian' ( recalcitrant may be a better word? ) shtick in middle school and found that sometimes life's just more fun if you go along with things a bit🤷

Actually, I am a very happy person. Moreover, I?m a very happy ADULT. Clapping and shouting for no reason stopped being fun when I was? 6? 7, maybe? I can?t imagine being mandated to do so by my employer would change my mind, much less would I find it ?silly? or a laughing matter. It has nothing to do with being a contrarian or recalcitrant; it has to do with my being of a different mindset, a different person, ?person? being the operative word.

Anyone find it ironic that every corporation will claim to value diversity throughout their enterprise, then turn around and tacitly demand lockstep conformity? What you find ?silly? and ?fun(ny)? actually makes a lot of people uncomfortable, and by mandating that everyone participate, they?re basically disregarding/disrespecting those people. Point in case, I used to be a supervisor in a warehouse for a fashion retailer. One year, for Associate Appreciate Day, they let the associates vote on an activity, and they decided they wanted to do a spin on ?Dancing with the Stars? called ?Dancing with the Sups;? basically the supervisors would pair up and do a dance competition, and the twist? The supervisors had to cross dress. I don?t dance, I don?t like performing in front of crowds and I certainly had no interest in dressing as a woman, but it was made very clear that I had no choice. So they?re ?fun, silliness? became my extremely uncomfortable and hostile work environment. What?s worse is for every associate that was laughing, there were three who genuinely felt bad for us, afterwards stating privately to us that the whole thing was just stupid and a bad idea that they didn?t think the managers would actually make us do it.

Does that make me a ?Negative Nancy?? No, it makes me someone who?s comfort zone, sense of humor and idea of silliness differs from [yours], differences which shit like this Walmart chant fly in the face of with near contemptuous disrespect.

A great example of GOOD morale boosting is my girlfriend?s company; as cynical as I may be when it comes to corporate America, I can honestly say the genuine happiness and camaraderie at her office (an oil and gas company) is palpable. And how did they pull this off? They offer a variety of activities, all entirely optional, that cater to a wide variety of interests: they take them to Major League baseball games, host company golf tournaments, their Christmas parties are phenomenal (I drank shots and took silly photos with her company?s OWNER,) they frequently have cookouts on their roof and/or parking lot, during the Summer, they allowed everyone to take half-days every Friday, etc., and their associates LOVE it; they love the way their employer treats them like the people they are when they could easily treat them like, well, WALMART does and write off their morale with a ?silly chant.?

 

[Chewster]

A great example of GOOD morale boosting is my girlfriend?s company; as cynical as I may be when it comes to corporate America, I can honestly say the genuine happiness and camaraderie at her office (an oil and gas company) is palpable. And how did they pull this off? They offer a variety of activities, all entirely optional, that cater to a wide variety of interests: they take them to Major League baseball games, host company golf tournaments, their Christmas parties are phenomenal (I drank shots and took silly photos with her company?s OWNER,) they frequently have cookouts on their roof and/or parking lot, during the Summer, they allowed everyone to take half-days every Friday, etc., and their associates LOVE it; they love the way their employer treats them like the people they are when they could easily treat them like, well, WALMART does and write off their morale with a ?silly chant.?

Shit like this is how to create a great company.

The last company my old man worked for was like this. The owners would come out and converse with everyone during break time. They'd read nice letters customers wrote (with the occasional negative one peppered in for motivation). Every Friday, they'd hold little contests and all the staff could win prizes like wine or products that had been returned and couldn't be resold (they sold educational supplies and toys and equipment so it was usually cool stuff). They held little auctions for the bigger, more expensive equipment. They kept a massive fridge filled with water and soda for the warehouse staff and anyone was welcome to help themselves whenever they wanted. They encouraged staff to exercise during lunch and anyone who did a set number of laps around the building got a small cash bonus. Every year, the one owner would have a massive pig roast BBQ on his property, all staff and staff's family were invited and it was always hella fun. Every trade show they attended, the owners themselves would personally build a basket of products that would be given away at the end of the day to one lucky teacher and every order sent out had a small bag of candies and a signed thank you note. And everyone was paid well and treated with respect.

That's how you motivate people, treat them like humans and make work interesting and fun to go to, not manditory chanting.