Office stories

10/23: I recently heard of 2 examples of the results of working too hard in the consulting industry. Both involve fast-risers in a well-known firm, on the cusp of becoming very young partners in Greater China. One had a heart attack at work, at the age of...30. The other began spitting up blood at work, the day before a final presentation, perhaps at the age of ~34. While somewhat shocking, they are only the most recent in a history of collateral damage within this company. Stories of stillborns and people fainting at work are well-known within the Asian offices. That said, I believe that these types of occurences are actually worn as a medal of honor at the company. Further, they are actually beneficial to their careers. Semi-jokingly, I said that the firm doles out heart attack bonuses, paralysis bonuses, etc. The ultimate is if you die during the job, you get a post-mortem partnership appointment (your family can benefit from x years' profit sharing).

10/1:
A friend told me about a recent conversation they had with their boss, which reveals how hard core one working environment is in Asia.
Situation #1 - Boss to favored employee: The world is divided into those who "have" (有) and "don't have" (沒有). It's not a matter of "can" (會) and "cannot" (不會), because those who "have" can go from "cannot" to "can". Your co-worker...is in the "don't have" category. One cannot go from "don't have" to "have".

Situation #2 -
Unfavored employee to boss: Do you drink coffee everyday?
Boss: Yes, but I wouldn't have to if you could understand what I tell you to do.