When fun and camaraderie happens naturally on a project, it's really amazing to be a part of. When an org tries to force "fun", it's awful.

I think you are dreaming of the first kind, and everyone against you in this thread is having nightmares about the second.

But I've also learned something about dealing with "corporate BS" -- if it's at least reasonably well intentioned, one can still decide to make the most of it instead of fighting everything and killing everyone else's motivation.

Very true. Marketed "fun" is usually not. And frankly, I don't have energy or patience to play the marketing game.

But I do know what fun is. I worked in the gaming industry at one point, and later in life I worked in places with Friday parties and foosball and food and spirits. Party play time can be a whole lot of fun - the kind you talk about Monday and even Tuesday and then look forward to next Friday.

Foster an environment where people work hard and you all gain, and you get to play nicely on a regular basis, and you have a place where you don't have to compete for talent. People seek you out.

How about just, you know, letting people have a lunch break that doesn’t involve work. By all means subsidise it if you want, but don't try drag people back to their desks with free food.

agreed. I have just found by my own experience that when nice free lunch is supplied (finance company, not SV startup), we typically talked about work and tech stuff anyway.

those who went out for lunch did because they needed some air and distance, and that was not frowned upon at all. but trust me, good free food is a powerful motivator to stick around!