The Ministry of Labor and Social Insurance held the “Rebrain Greece” event in Amsterdam last month to try to convince brilliant Greeks to return home. Most Greeks would as soon be paupers in the first world as accountants in a banana republic. Greeks and the community of Reddit hammered Rebrain Greece as a “Hell no, don’t go.” For me, however, the name of the initiative says it all. Greece’s leadership needs total brain replacement.
What the organizers set out to do and what became of their “Einstein” moment of clarity are at two ends of the spectrum. For the Greek bureaucrats, the country’s growing appeal and modernism surely highlighted their fishing expedition. Conversely, some who attended seem to have started a Reddit viral chuckling extravaganza. Short version: What a disaster!
Attendees Still Laughing
In contrast to the pie-in-the-sky rhetoric in Amsterdam, feedback from attendees told another story. One Reddit user described the effort to get professionals to work in Greece as a mix of comedy and disbelief. This criticism revolved around the corporate gurus failing to bait the fishing line with anything remotely enticing. The fact that the Greek government could not even spell re-brain without goofing the first two letters says a lot, too. Here are some of the key complaints about the meetup or the press from the ministry:
- Some attendees pointed out that Greece has a very hostile corporate culture, including highly demanding work hours, pay, and employee rights.
- One commenter from Alpha Bank reportedly noted, “If you’re expecting Dutch-style structured vacations, don’t come to Greece.”
- One delegate even warned those considering working in Greece, “You should prepare as if you’re being sent to Afghanistan. Forget weekends and balance!”
- In a private conversation, one attendee heard a delegate tell him workers frequently clock out with their digital work cards. They are then asked to work off the clock well into the evening.
- A Reddit user contributed one of the best/saddest commentaries on the matter, “The ministry spokesperson sounds like those parents who oppressed and beat their child their whole life, and when the child finally left home and stepped on his feet a little, the pull the IOU card.”
When pushed into the corner, one Rebrain Greece representative from the ministry struck out with the following:
Greece educated you, and now foreign countries are reaping the benefits. Don’t you have a duty to return to Greece what it gave you? You should feel a patriotic duty to assist in the effort currently underway in Greece.
Minister Stokes Fires of Discord
Labor Minister Niki Kerameus also drew critical responses with certain remarks. When addressing a question about the Netherlands’ 4-day work week with eight-hour days, Kerameus replied, “We’ve instituted 4-day workweeks in Greece, too—at 10 hours per day.” Reportedly, this elicited laughter from the audience. There are tears enough to go with the laughter, however. One commenter chimed in that the whole display was a government-funded fireworks show. User Upstairs Win added that the entire affair started when the minister called some companies to ask, “Hey, why don’t we go to Holland for drinks and food?” Take it from someone who has organized, spoken at, and attended hundreds of conferences and summits; the event is always more about the event.
The event ended with mixed emotions. While the concept of reviving Greece’s labor market and reclaiming talent was positively received, execution issues and dismissive attitudes highlighted long-standing challenges. The policymakers in Greece need to keep their hands out of the pockets of big business, which will help all concerned in the end. The best and brightest will not return to Greece with work situations like those I witness daily here in Heraklion.
Oh, I must leave off with a similar Reddit lambasting the ministry took over Rebrain about five years ago. In this one the program was painted like the ultimate buddy-buddy system where Greece gets EU funds, and then hires somebody’s cousin for an elevated salary. The commenter ended with “cousin wanted for a great business opportunity. Message me.” Now I am laughing. A previous “Career Day” event was held in Dusseldorf a few days before the Amsterdam food and fun event. Thank goodness there’s another Rebrain Greece event planned for London in 2025; without conferences and seminars, these people would surely starve or die of boredom.
