Chinese Tech Companies Hiring ‘Pretty’ Girls to Motivate Male Employees by Chatting, Playing Ping Pong and Buying them Breakfast

Because they cannot motivate themselves? Who knows! But according to Trending in China (via Tech in Asia), “programming cheerleaders” apparently exist.

Here’s Trending in China explaining what’s going on:

“Internet companies across China are embracing programming cheerleaders, pretty, talented girls that help create a fun work environment. Their job includes buying programmers breakfast, chitchatting and playing ping-pong with them.”

An HR manager at an internet company in China that hired three such cheerleaders tells Trending in China that its programmers are “mostly male” and stink at socializing.

Reportedly, productivity is up at the company, and supposedly, the cheerleaders are helping programmers get more work done. But it all seems rather patronizing—for both the cheerleaders and the programmers. So, uh, yeah.

h/t: Kotaku