Workplace Mojo: The Ping Pong Test

You installed a Ping Pong table for your employees to send a signal that your workplace isn’t a grind. It’s fun. You have stellar company culture. Great! Now, ask yourself: Is anyone using the Ping Pong table?

Your workers are your greatest asset, but do you treat them as such? Do they actually 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?

Striking the right balance between productivity and a positive workplace culture isn’t just about looking cool to job candidates. Gallup found in a study pivotal for companies like yours that great workplace culture is a strategy to create a thriving business.

Gallup’s State of the American Workplace report found that more than half of the U.S. workforce is not engaged, meaning these employees are indifferent about their jobs. With a push, the researchers found, however, workers can begin performing at their best. Culture tilts the scales.

Businesses with highly engaged workers see call outs drop by more than 40% and productivity soars by 17%. The research shows workers want to feel like stakeholders in their company’s future. They need clear work expectations and the tools to do their jobs. You should encourage positive relationships among coworkers. Think about how the harm versus good employees can have on your employer brand (Hello, Glassdoor review).

At Workplace Harmony, we focus on working with companies to improve your culture by using what you already have in place, elevating current practices and making sure employees are actually aware of and using the things you are providing that are intended to make them happy.

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. 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 know it. You will see it in high turnover or the complaints you overhear.

So, the 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 underneath.

A superior workplace culture starts with continuous, clear and robust communication between the boss and the people who report to her. 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.

Your staff doesn’t want you to be perfect, so express yourself with a genuine demureness that can put you and your employee on equal footing. You’re all adults, afterall. If there’s something about your company culture that 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 simply don’t have the time, call us now. Let’s fix it.

With the right plan, the turnaround can happen quickly. You won’t need to wait six months to see results.