What do many offices install that does not work, they know it does not work but the employees think it does? - I think I have the question correct.
I heard this question on the radio 2 weeks ago, I listened to 4 crappy songs and a long comercial and still did not hear the answer :mad:. Since I am still wondering now I figured someone on th SDMB would know. My only guess would be a fake sucurity camera but AFAIK security cameras in offices are not very common so 
I believe the answer is thermostats.
Typically only 1 or 2 of these actually change temperatures, the others are just placebos.
I’d buy either of those as the correct answer.
Maybe software to track web usage.
Haj
Middle management?
Could be anti-radiation filters on monitors or ionisers.
Maybe you never heard an answer because it’s a poor trivia question - there are many defendable answers. Maybe they gave the prize to someone who had an answer they weren’t thinking of, and they didn’t air it because it would have made for awkward radio.
Anything from Microsoft?
Could they be referring to the “Close Door” button on elevators?
Heard it on the radio 2 weeks ago, it’s thermostats.
Um, ok… why do this?
My guess: Management sets the temp to the level they want. Some employees will feel too cool, and others will feel too warm. If there are no employee-adjustable theremostats on the wall, they’ll all go to management with their conflicting requests. But if you put a few placebos on the wall and allow the employees to push them however they want, they’ll go back to their desks peacefully and leave management alone.
I work for an engineering firm who, among other things, designs heating and cooling systems. A typical system is divided into zones by way of variable air boxes, which is what a thermostat controls. Typically an office only has one of these for each logical physical space grouping, i.e. all the offices on one side of a hall. Typically more than one of the offices will have a thermostat, but only one of them actually controls the variable air box, the rest just give people the impression that they are changing the temperature, and therefore a mental change in perceived comfort level. Standard practice unfortunately.
Keeve beat me to it, but yes, that is essentially correct.
And most of the people I’ve worked with are aware of this, and will watch to see which thermostat (sometimes under a locking plexiglass cover) the building guys actually attend to.
Just as another answer, I’ve seen catalogs with dummy security cameras, which are just plastic shells that look like a real camera.