The pandemic killed the ping pong table: time to give employees the perks they actually want
We Are Unity CEO Ben Bars invites a reexamination of the office qualities that really matter post-COVID.
Agencies offices around Australia are sitting empty, stuffed to the brim with free booze, smash cakes, and ping pong tables that nobody ever plays. Similarly tech giants, like Google and Facebook, are world-famous for their lavish offices packed with free cafeterias, laundry rooms and swimming pools, sit empty.
When the pandemic hit, our obsession with material perks fell apart. Suddenly, meals weren’t free, booze wasn’t free, and we no longer needed the free dry cleaning. Businesses and employees alike are starting to realise that weak ‘perks’ are no substitute for employee value propositions (EVPs) that genuinely meet our physical, mental, financial needs, and even deeper needs.
