But what happens when those companies already have a ping pong table or five?
I mean there's a limit to how many ping pong tables Twitter wants to load into their office.
Is the tech bubble popping? Ping pong offers an answer
51–60 of 80 posts
Re: Is the tech bubble popping? Ping pong offers an answer
#52Re: Is the tech bubble popping? Ping pong offers an answer
#53Last time I went through a series of interview to find a new job, I systematically asked to go to the bathroom. I believe male's toilet cleanliness is a good indicator of how employees perceive their workplaces.
Said simply, if it's not clean then I expect employees to give poor considerations to each other or to the work they produce.
You can be fooled by what recruiters tell you in the interviewing room, the perks they offer (free food, ping-pong etc.) but I think a company always show signs it can't control while you're in their precinct.
Re: Is the tech bubble popping? Ping pong offers an answer
#54> “It does make a psychological statement to the founders and employees that we’re not your father’s company”
No kidding. My father's company wouldn't instill a culture where the expectation is to work 80+ hours a week and then try to (inadequately) offset it with shitty little perks like a ping-pong table.
Re: Is the tech bubble popping? Ping pong offers an answer
#55Re: Is the tech bubble popping? Ping pong offers an answer
#56Earlier quoted context omitted.
They're terrible chairs. A mesh back is nice but you need a proper seat. The Aeron cuts off circulation to the legs. It's also about 5x overpriced. I just upgraded to a low end model from a no-name brand. [1] It's honestly a better chair. 1: http://www.amazon.com/Seating-Professional-AirGrid-Adjustabl...
I must disagree, with passion. Aerons are phenomenally comfortable for the long-hour use. But you do have to pick one that's your size for that to work.
Well it is the product of a world class design firm. Even if it was a mistake to have a mesh seat they got most everything else right. But it's telling that the Herman Miller Embody (successor to Aeron) has a real seat.
Re: Is the tech bubble popping? Ping pong offers an answer
#57not really insightful, but it sparked my interest, so I'll leave this google trends search there
https://www.google.com/trends/explore#q=startup%20bubble%2C%...
make of it what you will.
Re: Is the tech bubble popping? Ping pong offers an answer
#58"Building culture" seems like an euphemism for romanticizing the workplace to squeeze more productivity out of employees without spending too much money on supplementing salaries.
Interestingly, It's kinda like academia in that way. Academics romanticizing research as being some kind of virtuous or nobel pursuit to justify their shitty wages and lack of personal time. (source, I am an academic)
I guess we all become devout monks of our own domain at some point in our careers until we realize the bullshit "culture" that was perpetuated, ultimately in the employer's interest.
Re: Is the tech bubble popping? Ping pong offers an answer
#59Earlier quoted context omitted.
It makes sense in terms of cost to benefit. A ping pong table is a few hundred dollars at most. An employee performing well is $100,000 at minimum. Little things like free food and ping pong tables actually offer a massive return on investment.
Who are these people who play ping pong during work hours? I want to finish my work and go home. If I have a break, I want to go outside and get some sun and air because I hate being inside all day. I'm not looking for a frat.
Likely people who enjoy taking a break at some point during the day and also enjoy playing ping pong? I don't see how going outside to "get some sun" is objectively any better in general.
Re: Is the tech bubble popping? Ping pong offers an answer
#60Earlier quoted context omitted.
hah, those have been turning up cheap on craigslist lately
They're terrible chairs. A mesh back is nice but you need a proper seat. The Aeron cuts off circulation to the legs. It's also about 5x overpriced. I just upgraded to a low end model from a no-name brand. [1] It's honestly a better chair. 1: http://www.amazon.com/Seating-Professional-AirGrid-Adjustabl...
Sounds like you might have gotten the wrong size. I used to do 12-13 hours sat in one of those at the office, with only a short break during the day to grab a snack, and never had any problems.
Absolutely worth every penny.