In this animated interview Olivier Larvoir and I talk about:
- Which company recently installed a slide in the office to make it a ‘happier’ place to work (#facepalm)
- Why your employees don’t want free coffee, ping pong tables and away days – and what they DO want
- How to attract the best talent without writing a job ad or hiring a recruitment agency
- What happiest places work all do that you can implement today (think: Google, Zappos, Southwest Airlines)
- The one word most leaders are scared to say but is the key to better productivity (hint: it isn’t ‘motivation’)
Retention is about so much more than sticking some form of physical gaming capability into your office. It’s about giving people a reason to stay and making an offering that an employee simply doesn’t wish to live without. The truth is, you’re unlikely to ever please everyone, because what floats one’s boat may sink another’s. But what you will end up with is a workforce that is culturally well-aligned and ultimately pretty damn happy.
I’m always surprised when ping-pong tables are offered as the answer. Unfortunately, the unhappier employees are the more time they’ll spend playing ping-pong. Then, companies mistakenly interpret it as making things better.