>> I'm sold.. where can I send my CV to Stark Industries!! <<
I can sympathize with the temptation.
>> Seriously, I can't think of any UK company that takes care of their people like that, and to my knowledge, only google get close... and yet it's such a logical thing to do! It's just not part of British culture I think. <<
Perhaps so. I think there are some places that do something similar, but they tend to be high-end ones like Stark Industries that need to attract and maintain the best people. Who sometimes are not all that great at taking care of themselves.
>> Which makes me wonder... how can Tony understand people so well, and yet be so bad at interacting with them personally? <<
It's not all Tony. JARVIS helps manage Stark Industries. Pepper is currently CEO. There are doubtless people in charge of maintaining a congenial working environment, who would do things like keep abreast of current research, innovative luxuries such as snack services, what benefits competing companies are offering, etc. I can't imagine it's much of a challenge to beat Hammer's presumably awful benefits package.
Now add into that how Tony made the Starkbars so he'd have something tasty, healthy, and convenient because he forgets to eat so often. That's a common trait for many intellectuals. So he's got a building with a high population of people who are brilliant but a bit erratic in certain regards. JARVIS and Pepper have learned some ways to manage Tony, and Tony has learned a bit about compensating for his own bad habits. It's not that much more of a leap to realize that prompting absent-minded folks to eat something healthy would probably boost performance. Plus, it's a lot cheaper to feed them, even if you have to hand-feed them, than have people keel over a desk and need to be carted to the tower clinic.
>> Or is it part of his 'damage', that he goes to great lengths to make people like him, and that bleeds over into his professional life... <<
That may well be part of it. Certainly this plays into Tony's habit of showering his friends with excessive gifts and his employees with benefits and raises. He honestly believes -- and has some unfortunate evidence to back it up -- that he needs to bribe people to put up with him. Tony's still trying to wrap his mind around the idea that the Avengers might possibly like him for himself instead of his money, his favors, his dick, or the Iron Man suit.
>> actually does he even have a distinction between personal and professional? <<
Not much of one; Tony has boundary issues all over. He doesn't seem to have any friends with zero professional connection. Rhodey comes closest, because that wasn't present when they met in college; it developed later with Rhodey in the military and Tony making weapons. Happy and Pepper both began as Tony's employees. The Avengers are all part of his superhero work. It's pretty much just Tony's botfamily, and even they are into the family business in some ways.
>> Hmm... and to echo the sentiments above, Jarvis is very quietly taking care of Phil, which is going to be a bit of a turn-about for him I suspect, given that he's usually in that role. <<
Yes, that's true. Phil isn't used to other people taking care of him yet.
Thoughts
I can sympathize with the temptation.
>> Seriously, I can't think of any UK company that takes care of their people like that, and to my knowledge, only google get close... and yet it's such a logical thing to do! It's just not part of British culture I think. <<
Perhaps so. I think there are some places that do something similar, but they tend to be high-end ones like Stark Industries that need to attract and maintain the best people. Who sometimes are not all that great at taking care of themselves.
>> Which makes me wonder... how can Tony understand people so well, and yet be so bad at interacting with them personally? <<
It's not all Tony. JARVIS helps manage Stark Industries. Pepper is currently CEO. There are doubtless people in charge of maintaining a congenial working environment, who would do things like keep abreast of current research, innovative luxuries such as snack services, what benefits competing companies are offering, etc. I can't imagine it's much of a challenge to beat Hammer's presumably awful benefits package.
Now add into that how Tony made the Starkbars so he'd have something tasty, healthy, and convenient because he forgets to eat so often. That's a common trait for many intellectuals. So he's got a building with a high population of people who are brilliant but a bit erratic in certain regards. JARVIS and Pepper have learned some ways to manage Tony, and Tony has learned a bit about compensating for his own bad habits. It's not that much more of a leap to realize that prompting absent-minded folks to eat something healthy would probably boost performance. Plus, it's a lot cheaper to feed them, even if you have to hand-feed them, than have people keel over a desk and need to be carted to the tower clinic.
>> Or is it part of his 'damage', that he goes to great lengths to make people like him, and that bleeds over into his professional life... <<
That may well be part of it. Certainly this plays into Tony's habit of showering his friends with excessive gifts and his employees with benefits and raises. He honestly believes -- and has some unfortunate evidence to back it up -- that he needs to bribe people to put up with him. Tony's still trying to wrap his mind around the idea that the Avengers might possibly like him for himself instead of his money, his favors, his dick, or the Iron Man suit.
>> actually does he even have a distinction between personal and professional? <<
Not much of one; Tony has boundary issues all over. He doesn't seem to have any friends with zero professional connection. Rhodey comes closest, because that wasn't present when they met in college; it developed later with Rhodey in the military and Tony making weapons. Happy and Pepper both began as Tony's employees. The Avengers are all part of his superhero work. It's pretty much just Tony's botfamily, and even they are into the family business in some ways.
>> Hmm... and to echo the sentiments above, Jarvis is very quietly taking care of Phil, which is going to be a bit of a turn-about for him I suspect, given that he's usually in that role. <<
Yes, that's true. Phil isn't used to other people taking care of him yet.