If something you couldn’t see was keeping your business from growing, wouldn’t you want to do something about it? What if it meant admitting something about yourself you wouldn’t be so proud of, such as the idea that when it comes to hiring, you tend for no reason at all to dismiss some people out of hand while favoring others?

Karlyn Borysenko has seen a lot of hard places to work. A consultant studying for her PhD in organizational psychology, she gets asked to go in, diagnose, and tell business leaders the truths about their work cultures they don’t want to hear. Even at companies where positivity is policy, she often finds leaders’ efforts lacking.

Discrimination is a dirty word -- workplace discrimination doubly so. But if you don’t want your star workers leaving, a bit of favoritism goes a long way, according to William Tincup, CEO of Tincup & Co, an HR consultancy.

A happy worker is a productive worker, common sense says, but despite some studies that claim to reveal this correlation, over 70 years of research has not yet proved the axiom true.

Little wonder: It’s a tough thing to measure. These are subjective concepts, after all. What it means for an employee to be “happy” and “productive” changes from study to study and organization to organization. No single definition could ever fit all businesses.

We sat down with China Gorman, HR consultant and former SHRM chief, to discuss why entrepreneurs, when picking perks for employees, often choose the “bread and circuses” model popularized by Silicon Valley technology firms and the mainstream media.

You love setting goals -- too much, perhaps?

Yes, goals can be great. Used the right way they bring teams together, drive effort and announce to the world your intentions to achieve.