How to avoid lame morale events

http://www.scottberkun.com/blog/2006/how-to-avoid-lame-morale-events/

The basic rule, where managers get in trouble, is this: any event outside of work does not create morale – it only allows whatever morale exists to surface. Case in point: Take a miserable team out to an amazing meal, they return to misery. Take a happy team out to a horrible meal, they return to happiness. You can’t fix a team, or raise morale, by morale events. Case in point #2: If you consistently gave people interesting projects, stayed out of their way and rewarded them for hard/smart work, you’ll do more for morale than a $100k morale budget ever could.