“Instead of wasting money on team-building activities, lunches, lucky draws, and other pointless staff events, management should use that money to increase our salaries.”
A frustrated employee’s recent online rant has gone viral after she claimed that funds currently allocated for staff perks should be redirected towards increasing employee salaries.
Writting in an online career advice forum, she argued that instead of wasting money on team-building activities, lunches, lucky draws and other redundant staff events, management should use those funds to increase employee salaries.
She described that she has no need for team-building exercises or hotel retreats, noting that she already bonds with her teammates during their daily work. For her, remuneration is the ultimate motivator.
“When you earn a high salary, you think twice before resigning. A good salary motivates you to give your best at work,” she said.
She added that when salaries are stagnant, the mindset shifts.
“You think only a few times before deciding to look for a new job, because the pay simply is not worth the effort,” she stressed.
Her post quickly triggered a spirited debate in the comments section. Some netizens agreed that fair pay remains more vital than corporate perks, while others argued that team-building activities are essential to fostering a cohesive workplace culture.
“Companies always assume staff want fun activities, when what we really want is a salary that matches our workload. Even a RM300 raise is more meaningful than a three-day team-building trip,” one netizen said.
“It is true; salary is the ultimate motivation. If the pay is not fair, it simply does not feel worth the effort. Perhaps companies are struggling to balance short-term rewards with long-term retention goals,” another added.
One commenter, identified as Ng, defended the value of team-building events, adding that they help employees understand one another and can uncover hidden tensions or operational issues within a team.
The discussion raises an important question for modern organisations: do perks like hotel stays and lucky draws truly improve engagement, or is a competitive salary the only real driver of employee loyalty and performance?
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The Sun Malaysia
