I always thought massage therapists in offices seemed a bit Marie Antoinette. Showing appreciation with tokens of gratitude and respect is different from leavi

I always thought massage therapists in offices seemed a bit Marie Antoinette. Showing appreciation with tokens of gratitude and respect is different from leaving a bowl of treats out, mostly because of the implied direction of the gratitude. Where if I give staff something thoughtful because I want to recognize them, gratitude is expressed toward them, whereas if I leave a bowl of treats out, their gratitutde is implied toward me. If someone said, "here are some luxury goods, enjoy them," and then said, "oh yeah, btw someone has to pay for those luxury goods you used, time to work them off," we have other words for what that is. Imo, personal boundaries in an office environment provide dignity to people, which is an essential part of maintaining the high and elite-level performance mental health necessary to manage in professional environments. It's a kind of athleticism. Providing "treats" is (un-)subtly degrading, and as a direct result I would estimate that the level of staff well being in the dozens of companies I have consulted to was inversely proportional to the presence of snacks, alcohol, toys, beanbag chairs, and furry onesie costumes in their offices. Sorry to hear the therapists were laid off, and they were probably the hardest working people at Google, but medium term, it sounds like it could be better for everyone involved.