Long live ping pong
Now, recently I’ve read a number of posts that knock the notion of an office ping pong table. For those that know me well, I take ping pong seriously and can’t accept this so here I am as a champion for the ping pong table. Many a weekday night as a teenager was spent being ferried around by mine and Sean O'Shea 's parents to compete in the Wellingborough counties table tennis league (yes it’s a thing)
It’s blatantly obvious that a ping pong table isn’t culture, just as neither is unlimited holiday, private medical, flexible working or any of the other benefits we see offered. What it can be is a tool in your arsenal to help build a good culture. For me, culture comes from the top and radiates through a business, if you have a leader and a leadership team that truly believes in creating an environment for people to be successful and enjoy what they do then culture becomes a lot easier.
I’ll give toy 3 simple reasons why I think a ping pong table can be a useful tool.
1. Competition
It. brings a competitive edge to the team. For those that like sports or like competing it can be a welcome focus at lunchtime or after work.
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2. It doesn’t discriminate
Ping Pong is for all. Any gender, race, culture or sexuality. It's just a bit of fun between friends and colleagues
3. Integration
It’s a great place to meet others in your company that you may not get to spend time with normally.
So whilst a ping pong table or any benefit alone isn’t going to build your culture, don’t diss the art of ping pong. It can be a safe space for your team members to let off steam, meet others in their company and if your name is Alastair McDonald get schooled by me on a regular basis.
As I said it’s also just an item in your toolbox. Ask yourself the question. What’s in your toolbox as a leader? Think of well-being, financial, and personal growth as 3 pillars to address.
Oh, and long live ping pong.
Virtual CMO | HubSpot Solutions Provider | Growth Marketing Consultant | Chartered Marketer | Videographer and Creative Director of the award-winning #PitchSlap
2 年Love this even though I'm not great at it. It was always a great way to talk over ideas whilst using a different part of your brain or after a hard day to de stress with a beer
I design high-performance cultures for CEO's and Founders of 50-1000 people companies that want to grow fast.
2 年I’d be keen on a rematch… 25 years on from when we had our epic Center parcs final (I’m sure there must be a plaque somewhere commemorating that). I like the post and the message. A ping pong table, like any other asset/resource/incentive is something that can impact peoples experience at work in a positive way (and I do like the 3 reasons you highlight). The “ping pong tables aren’t the answer to culture” messages are right, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be a helpful tool in bringing people together. I read an article a while ago about treat your employees as if they are your guests at your hotel… the idea being that you spend time focussing on what their experience is like while they’re with you. I hope you’ve developed some attack to your previously overly defensive game Glen Foster …
Accountants save time when the repetitive is automated. We deal with the repetitive and mundane tasks with automation, freeing up time for Accountants to do what humans are best at, solving problems and creating value
2 年When we started Hosted Accountants, we had a ping pong table. It was great, so good for bonding and friendly rivalries. Long live Wiff Waff!
Head of Partnerships & Growth @Telleroo | Bulk Supplier & Payroll Payments | Speaker | DEI Champion | HR Zone Culture Pioneer | Columnist |
2 年I agree with you Glen! I think the challenge is ping pong has become the poster boy for lazy leadership when it comes to culture. I think any activities that drive competition and an opportunity for the team to collaborate and enjoy some down time can be wonderful but if that’s all that’s being offered it can definitely feel like a cop out! Here’s to proactive leadership and building great cultures for our teams ??????
Sales Leader | Driving Growth in SaaS & Scale-Ups | Head of Sales, UK at Xero | GTM Strategy & Revenue Leadership
2 年Waiting for Alastair McDonald to see this