Seems so far that the most brownie points incorrectly go to those who stick to minimum flight plan fuel. It seems of little consequence that an unexpected diversion is required or a Mayday call to arrive with sufficient fuel. That is the world according to some.
The realistic world would would consider the complete forseeable circumstances of each flight. Before departure, if we are not going to project our thinking to the end of the flight, why are we pilots?
On an A320 I rarely added less than 500 Kgs, but every sector was carefully considered according to weather and other conditions, traffic and my experience on that route. Sometimes, slow speed, low level vectoring can easy eat up a ton or more. If you experienced that at your destination previously, better continue to consider it during peak traffic periods.
There are more ways to save costs than by using less fuel and sometimes these other savings are superior. Running close to your absolute limit on crew duty time? As an example, perhaps taking through fuel and saving refuelling time on one turnaround could enable same day mission completion.
Stress free arrivals send a clear message to ATC. This crew is professional. Next time there is a direct tracking request or less runway length can be accepted for expedited departure those professionals have improved opportunities. If your company is making fuel madays, equal consideration might be just a coincidence.