Workplace Mojo: The Ping Pong Test

You installed a Ping Pong table for your employees to signal that your workplace isn’t a grind. You’re showing them you’re a fun company. You have *stellar* company culture. Great! Now, ask yourself: Is anyone actually using the Ping Pong table?

Striking the right balance between productivity and a positive workplace culture isn’t just about looking cool to job candidates.

Your workers are your greatest asset, but do you treat them as such? Do they have time to blow off steam after a grueling meeting with a round of table tennis, or are they so overwhelmed with a to-do list they might as well be chained to their desk?

Gallup found in a study pivotal for companies that excellent workplace culture is a strategy to create a thriving business. Their report found that more than half of the U.S. workforce is disengaged, meaning these employees are indifferent about their jobs. On the contrary, businesses with highly engaged workers see callouts drop by more than 40%, and productivity soars by 17%. The research shows that workers want to feel like stakeholders in their company’s future and need clear work expectations and the tools to do their jobs.

Workers can begin performing their best when company culture takes priority over never-ending to-do lists. You should encourage positive relationships among coworkers.

Company culture tilts the scales.

Culture is the secret sauce that lets you attract, retain, empower, and engage your employees. Your workplace culture is like an extra person in any room, and it is an environment made up of values and behaviors that is as real as any building filled with computers and desks. And when yours is in trouble, you’ll know it, and you will see it in high turnover or hear it in whispered complaints.

So, your problem isn’t often in identifying the bad mojo; it is in diagnosing the root cause. To find the culprit, start with an open and honest conversation about what’s happening on the surface, then analyze what is underneath.

Superior workplace culture starts with continuous, clear, and robust communication between the boss and the people who report to them. Effective communication isn’t about finding a delicate way to say something. Instead, it is about clearing the air from a place of humility and respect.

At Workplace Harmony, we focus on working with companies to improve their culture by using what you already have in place, utilizing what you provide to make your employees happy, and elevating your current practices.

Remember: your staff doesn’t want you to be perfect. They want you to express yourself with a genuine demureness that can put you and your employee on equal footing. You’re all adults, after all. If something about your company culture scares you, that’s the issue to call Workplace Harmony about. If you catch yourself saying, ‘I don’t want to think about that,’ or if you spot a pattern of ignoring a problem because you don’t have the time, call us now.

With the right plan, the turnaround can happen quickly. You won’t need to wait six months to see results. We want to help you fix it.

Lauren Williams, Founder & Principle Consultant 

Lauren Williams utilizes her 20 years of expertise in HR to support companies by improving and enhancing their people skills/operations, maximizing a company’s full potential. With care and passion, she focuses intently on the employee experience and how to leverage a solid community-based company culture that encourages organic employee engagement, retention, and empowerment.