A system like ours, which relies on people to be good and provides benefit of the doubt, is susceptible to bad actors. My very public statement, underscored by the appalling words of a fellow employee, made transparent what was happening and made it socially acceptable for Googlers to nudge one another. Snatching four takeout boxes at once was now greeted with a gentle “You must be pretty hungry,” and people stockpiling snacks on Fridays were looked at askance.lxvii Another way to address the challenge of habituation is by being unafraid to change benefits once the original reasons for them
...more