I still remember the manager who thought handing out vendor / conference swag was a great morale booster. This always also the same guy who got the position before the position was advertised to us (we got to play along to fill hr quotas), so no surprise our new manager was a bigger numpty than the guy he replaced.

On the other hand, most middle managers are unable to actually understand the fact that most employees are motivated more by non-financial stuff. You spend, if you’re lucky, A FUCKING THIRD of every workday at work. The whole ‘package’ must be at least acceptable to the employee or she’ll go. It’s really that simple.