(Emphasis mine) I'm saying this without malice, so please don't take it that way: But who are you to decide what the appropriate amount of extracurricular interaction between co-workers is? You have a system that works for you, and that's perfectly fine. There are quite a few of my colleagues that I've never seen outside of the office. A bunch of them that are all but guaranteed to show up at a team/company instigated happy hour. And a small handful that I consider friends. Hell, I spent my weekend in a boat fishing with a former co-worker that I now consider a good friend.

I'm not saying your method is wrong, I'm saying that it's not the only one available, and not the only one that's appropriate.

I think you missed the part where I said "almost without exception"....

;)

I have had a VERY few that I socialized at all with outside of work...I could count likely on 1 hand and not come close to using all of my fingers.

There's exceptions to every rule...BUT, in general, I stick by that it is best to keep most if not all co-workers just in that category...and not confide in them like a true friend, not to get involved with them in their outside lives, nor hav them in your business...

This is especially true of the opposite sex, and these days, as a guy, I'd say you are in HIGH danger zone of befriending or being close at all with any female.

It only takes them getting pissed at you once and throwing a complaint to HR and *BAM*...no jury, no trial, you are gone and your reputation is almost surely to be permanently smeared, and that's if you're lucky enough to get away without any legal entanglements.

The work environment hasn't always been this toxic...I'm an old guy and I know...but I've seen how bad it has gotten, especially in the last decade.

But hey...you do you.

But I say, if you want to keep your W2 job...and progress..keep your head down, keep co-workers compartmentalized as they are, and every once in awhile, change jobs to get a decent pay boost.

Not really, hammers are trivial to make, citation: they've existed for thousands of years

AI has not existed for thousands of years, but it is now equally trivial to make custom AIs, very powerful AI models are now running on Arduino.

In fact I would wager that MORE people currently have the skill AND EQUIPMENT needed to build an AI, than do have the metalworking skill needed to make a hammer!

therefore one can logically assume it is not trivial to make

WTF? Are you even a developer?

It also provides some friction when people make a decision as to whether to leave. Risking the loss of an entire circle of friends, free pop and foosball tables can be a powerful motivator to stay.

Co-workers, in general, are not your friends...they are just co-workers....

If you depend on work for your friendships and not people on the outside of work, you're in trouble.

Jobs change...people change jobs...

There's the old saying:

"Friends help you move....

....REAL friends help you move bodies..."

but what about pizza lunches?

I'd do work lunches, sure...but to me, that's still part of the "work day"....

Once I leave work at the end of the day...I do not have any type of meaningful contact with co-workers.

Culture, in the context you put it: Rah rah meetings, corporate slogans, culture consultants, that sort of thing are bullshit. How the company actually conducts itself: WFH policies, attendance policies, benefits offerings, how bosses interact with their underlings, things like that are absolutely valuable. That, in my mind, is the "company culture", and it boils down to how they treat their employees.

But sadly, the general definition(s) of "Company Culture" is not defined by their HR policies...that you list.

When they hand out their new employee folder of materials...have your induction/indoctrination meetings, etc....they don't really mention HR topics as "culture"...it is more along what I was describing.

I remember one company I went to work for...had a WHOLE freaking week offsite for new employees, with speakers and presentations trying to describe the company culture, philosophy...how they are "family"....shit like that.

That was an extreme...but I've seen variations of this at a number of places I've worked as a direct W2 employee.

Your company culture was idiotic, and that's somehow a reason to avoid curating a culture that's not idiotic?

I've seen this at multiple companies...and people I discussed this with relate the same experiences at their companies.

This is not something isolate, it is quite prevalent.

Company culture is bullshit, company friendships are anti-churn. Getting them drunk together is best way to accomplish that.

I guess, maybe for some people, but I don't get it.

Don't get me wrong, I'm quite sociable and easy to make friends.....outside of work.

I've always kept co-workers at arms length, at least as far as socializing outside of work, or confining, talking, sharing, etc.

I work well with others, but they are co-workers, they, almost without exception, have not been what I'd term "friends". They are co-workers and contacts.

It's just too easy for something to go wrong at work and jeopardize your job, especially in today's victimhood environment...especially if you're talking women here and you are a guy.

No thanks...I'll be friendly, easy to work with...but no, not a friend, not going drinking with co-workers outside of a job sanctioned event, and even then, not staying long or getting tipsy.

My true friends are the many people outside of work I've met and known over the years in meatspace (not on social media)...people I know, trust and often many of them I trust with keys to my house.

I go to work for one thing....money. I do what I have to as best I can...I leave and go spend time with the people that actually matter....friends and family.

But I guess some people mix the two more than they should....I guess that shows when people leave a job and get depressed, or even those that retire and are unhappy.

I don't get it...

Insect biomass collapse. Mass migration, demographic collapse, social media etc. destabilising society. Putler in a war on EU door step. US and China in a new cold war, with Taiwan as a possible source for it going hot. Gain of function research still widespread after a lab leak created a global pandemic, with the technology for genetic manipulation spreading. Fossil water exhaustion and subsidence. Soil depletion and other forms of land degradation. Climate change, eventually.

"Human sacrifice! Dogs and cats living together! Mass hysteria!"

And now you have a situation where the top leaders of these companies are harming their own culture

Ugh...I just don't get it with the whole company "culture" and the importance some people put on it.

Back in my early days of working when I was W2 direct....a number of companies went all out on the "culture"....we had rah-rah meetings, hell had company outings to promote whatever the latest culture motto that year was.

They spent money on consultants to come out with new mottos and branding....and such.

And, just what does that gain or give you as an employer or employee other than wasting a ton of money on consultants ever year or so?

What is company "culture"?

I mean, you go in....work to get paid and leave.

WTF culture is involved in that.?

It's not like your employer really cares about you....they want work from you.

I'm old enough to remember when companies were a bit more "caring" of their employees...and still the culture thing was bull shit.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the paid days off on day trips for team building....we went bowling, tubing down river all day, laser tag...etc.

But it didn't really. mean squat as far as work went...

Again it was fun...but I can't perceive it did fuck all for work or productivity....and hell, I'd rather have had more raises than the money spent on this crap.

So, I really don't get it.

Work is work....I wouldn't be doing it if I didn't need a paycheck, and the more $$ the better.

I went contracting 1099....and just got away from all that crap...strictly business.

Anyway..does anyone actually see the culture thing as anything that's real? Valuable? Does it make you more money? The company more money?

I just don't get it....yet I see it mentioned quite frequently, especially nowadays with the WFH topic.

Is French Gates == Melinda Gates?

Saying you want to "protest" AI is like saying you want to protest hammers.

Guess what, no amount of protest is going to make hammers - or AI - not exist.

Instead you should really spend time learning what "AI" really is, what kinds of AI exist, and what it actually can do, so you can understand real risks... that is worth the same level effort you were thinking of spending on protest.

Why would anyone want 3D renderings of participants, I mean hell...we don't even ever turn the cameras on that we have now, you know?

I really don't wanna see 3D projections of "Todd" in his boxer shorts, unshaven...you know?

So have you given up flying?

Nope.

Does your house use natural gas?

Yes...HELL yes, keeps my electric bill reasonable...gas heat, gas water heater, gas clothes dryer, gas stovetop and oven.

Gas...the ONLY way to cook!!

Personally...I enjoy and plan to continue to enjoy the standard of living I grew up with and worked hard to attain.

I see no reason to give anything up.

But, you be you.

Found the American. Europeans, many of whom don't even own a car are laughing at how absurdly stupid your view is.

It's only stupid if you are an European that has no concept of how US cities and the country is laid out as a whole.

Everyone here is NOT in a densely packed urban center where public transport generally seems to work....

The US is a very large country, and the majority of the land is not occupied by dense urban type cities...not to mention the extreme diversity of weather, and land type spread across the states.

You're only stupid if you don't know about or take into considerations the VAST differences between tiny Europe countries and the US.

Firstly, we should not be using edge-case to inform policy. That's... silly.

Really?

They seem to be pushing it for all the new "trans" policies and rules for sports and bathroom use and don't mind that that is all "edge-case" to impose these on the majority of the world this is normal.