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[–] 603 points 3 years ago (30 children)

It's true that it's not always about the money, but it's probably never about a ping pong table

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  • [–] 200 points 3 years ago (10 children)

    Well, hypothetical speaking, if there were two completely absolutely identical jobs, but the one had a ping pong table. I might choose the one without and ask them to get a Foosball table, since I'm no good at ping pong.

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  • [–] 50 points 3 years ago* (6 children)

    It also depends on whether it's about a pingpong table in the office, or whether I get one for at home and we're talking a fully remote job.

    Getting a free pingpong table isn't a bad bonus! I'd prefer a decent crokinole board though, tbh

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    [–] 219 points 3 years ago* (last edited 3 years ago) (20 children)

    As a professional in this field, top reasons would be...

    • Dissatisfaction with pay
    • Limited/No career progression
    • Dissatisfaction with environment/culture
    • Dissatisfaction with management
    • Poor work-life balance
    • Poor job design/expectations of role
    • Poor taining quality/knowledge management
    • Inadequate tools/systems

    Edit: I should also point out we have about half a dozen ping-pong tables scattered around my work and our turnover figures were bang on average for annual benchmarking against the sector. I consider the average too high, though, and will be targeting better retention over this year. We'll need at least double the amount of ping-pong tables.

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    [–] 159 points 3 years ago (25 children)

    There is a bit of truth here. Toxic culture and out of touch management will make people walk as well.

    Thing is, there might just be a wad of cash big enough to make me put up with that against my health interests.

    Fuck ping pong tables though. No one left a company because they didn't have enough fucking table sports. If you think they are then you are the problem. Exit interview your own fucking arse.

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  • [–] 56 points 3 years ago* (2 children)

    Around 2012 I had a interview with a recruiter, he asked me what kind of company you're looking for, and I replied, one without a ping pong table, he laughed at me, I am an immigrant, left home when I was 19, so around 2008 went around in my country and EU, and already understood that whenever a company had a ping pong table it had a shitty culture, so by the time of that interview I already seen more than enough shitty companies, but I remember that interview in particular because the guy started making fun of me, laughing at me

    11 years after, I wish I could speak with that recruiter to see if he understood that ping pong tables are low efforts solutions adopted by shitty-environment companies and if he would laugh at me again

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    [–] 137 points 3 years ago (11 children)

    It’s true, most people don’t care about money.

    They care about what money can help them buy, like another day of survival.

    It was never about the money. It was about maslovs heirarchy of needs; which, at the very bottom, is a foosball table.

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    [–] 117 points 3 years ago (5 children)

    There's only been two reasons for me to quit a job: shitty pay and shitty people in charge.

    Sounds like this company has both.

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  • [–] 95 points 3 years ago (16 children)

    None of these answers is correct, it's simply not a multiple choice question.

    For some the pay is important, others need a bit of distraction like a ping pong table.

    Everybody has their own needs, the biggest HR loser is the one that fits all employees in the same square.

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  • [–] 76 points 3 years ago (13 children)

    others need a bit of distraction like a ping pong table.

    That is never the answer. If your business isn't retaining people because the party culture isn't party enough...you've got way bigger problems...and it's probably leadership.

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  • [–] 27 points 3 years ago (1 child)

    As I get older I begin to realize that people love to work.

    However people hate being treated like shit.

    Treating people like shit or building an environment that supports shitty behavior poisons the well and will absolutely make people leave, even for a pay cut.

    If you just respect people and properly value them and their contributions to your organization, you'll never have trouble keeping them.

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    [–] 85 points 3 years ago (24 children)

    A ping pong table? What for? So HR can punish you when you use it?

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  • [–] 76 points 3 years ago (12 children)

    Yeah, the main reason Ive changed jobs is money. Nobody gives raises like new bosses.

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    [–] 71 points 3 years ago (1 child)

    A company offered me a million dollars to work for them, but then I remembered the ping pong table at my current employer and said no way. Totally worth it.

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    [+] 64 points 3 years ago* (last edited 3 years ago) (3 children)
  • [–] 28 points 3 years ago (2 children)

    I interviewed once for a part-time job at a potential startup, and the two people running it spent 75% of the time talking about how they had a pingpong table and how that meant it was a fun company...

    The job wouldn't be in the office tho, so for my position (and pretty much every employee) would only be able to use it off the clock.

    They were very excited about the ping pong table tho, because their job was in office and they played a lot.

    I didn't take the job.

    And the startup never opened.

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  • [–] 58 points 3 years ago (1 child)

    I had this argument with a boomer HR consultant and she just doubled down, even though I explained that neither I nor my colleagues, give two hoots about fussball or team building. Our position is a resounding "fuck you pay me" but oh no - boomer knows best.

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  • [–] 47 points 3 years ago

    My then gf now wife moved in with me and my employer wouldn't cover her under the insurance. I made it clear that this was important. They wouldn't back down. So got a new job. During the exit interview I repeated what I told them. It was only about the health insurance. HR tried to get me to talk smack about my manager, a guy I actually liked. I praised him and again told them that this was only about insurance.

    Told my manager about what they did on the way out the door.

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  • [–] 53 points 3 years ago (1 child)

    Yeah, often when an employee leaves it's about the lack of ping-pong table.

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    [–] 51 points 3 years ago (7 children)

    Questions like these make me wonder if large capitalists actually live in an alternate universe but through some time and space shenanigans they are still here. There's just no way they can make this type of shit up (assuming it's a real question) without being delusional or sadistic.

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  • [–] 30 points 3 years ago

    There’s just no way they can make this type of shit up (assuming it’s a real question) without being delusional or sadistic.

    Of course there is: they want to implement doublethink. It's a deliberate attempt to make workers not to pursue their own rational interest when it conflicts with corporate profits.

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    [–] 47 points 3 years ago (2 children)
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    [–] 46 points 3 years ago (4 children)

    I've never left a company because of money. I have left because the bullshit they put me through wasn't worth the money. That's not just being funny either. I'm okay with being under-compensated if the environment is positive, managers are friendly and flexible, and it actually feels like our sister teams have similar goals and we're not working against each other.

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    [–] 45 points 3 years ago (12 children)

    Ping Pong table ? Are they serious ?!? We had a PS5 in the meeting room for ~4 month an no one ever touched it. I don't go to work to have a fun time, I go to do my job, then leave and have a fun somewhere else. More correct answers for retaining employees:

    • give them tasks they are interested in
    • give them perspective for developement (promotions, raise, mobility, etc)
    • value their contributions and support them moraly (you want to know your managers and colleages got your back)
    • of course more money ! Or alternatively more freetime !
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    [–] 45 points 3 years ago* (last edited 3 years ago) (1 child)

    It is pretty simple. Respect your employees and they will respect you. Respect starts with valuing the employee's contributions by paying them a fair wage. It continues with treating them well. A way of treating them well might be a point ping table, but that comes on top of a fair wage, not instead of.

    A good manager might recognise a hard working team needs a way to relax and gets a pool table or something. The employees are happy and tell their friends they've got a pool table at work, everyone is jealous. It seems like the pool table is the reason but it is just a symptom of them being generally treated well.

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    [–] 44 points 3 years ago (1 child)

    Never quit a job over lack of ping pong tables.

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  • [–] 38 points 3 years ago (4 children)

    Ah yes because I have the time to play ping pong :)

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    [–] 36 points 3 years ago (2 children)

    This is true but still not the right answer... it's not always about the money

    IT'S ABOUT THE METS BABY, LET'S GO METS, GONNA GET A HOMERUN, LOVE THE METS! LET'S GO METS!

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    [–] 33 points 3 years ago* (6 children)

    This reminds me of the Simpson episode where they are negotiating a new contract. It’s the same as the old one expect the they replace the dental plan with a keg of beer.

    Season 4 Episode 17 “Last Exit to Springfield” .

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    [+] 33 points 3 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (11 children)
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    [–] 31 points 3 years ago

    Yeah, we're the fucking generation that can't afford our own living, but have you tried giving us a ping-pong table?

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  • [–] 30 points 3 years ago (4 children)

    How many of these companies think employees are going to say it's about the money during an exit interview? Usually if you agree to an exit interview it's to be diplomatic and not burn your bridges. You're not going to tell the truth, you're going to say what they want to hear.

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    [–] 29 points 3 years ago (2 children)

    perfectly maps to startups selling working at a startup as "we're a family", "you're a googler", etc. give them a ping pong table and free beer on fridays and you can pay considerably less.

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    [–] 27 points 3 years ago

    the correct answer to this entire questionnaire is to close it and never look back

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  • [–] 27 points 3 years ago (1 child)

    They said employee, not wage slave

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    [–] 26 points 3 years ago (4 children)

    "Usually, in our narrow and sad description of what an employee wants, it's not money. Clearly it's more related to the lack of ping-pong tables and extra responsibilities." 🤡

    These people have absolutely forgotten what it means to be an employee.

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