Pay hike or a ping-pong table? How are organizations out of touch with employee needs?

A few weeks ago, an employee posted a screenshot of an HR poll, which asked: Which of the following might help an HR professional drive employee retention and success?

1. A ping-pong tables
2. Additional responsibilities
3. A raise in pay.

Most of us would have automatically clicked option 3, but it turns out that the HR department in question believed that a hike was the wrong answer. “Often, when an employee leaves, it’s not about the money,” the poll result claimed, adding a good exit interview could “help determine the real causes of employee discontent”.

So, what’s the “right” answer? Apparently, a ping-pong table.

HR professionals would do well to take note of the replies to this post, which rubbish the original “survey”. Here’s one: “Wait, the right answer was…a ping pong table? Would love to know how many people listed “too few ping-pong tables” in their exit interview…”

Here’s another:
While this is a hilarious thread, there’s a clear lesson in it for those who care. Those employees want to be paid well. Frills like ping-pong tables come later, something a number of Indian startups discovered within a few years.

Some years ago, when digital content startups were the coolest business to be in, many of these entrepreneurs’ poured money into fancy offices with fun toys. One had set up shop in a sprawling farmhouse with trampolines and swings in the garden. Too much money spent on frivolities and not enough on actual business saw most of these startups fail within a few years. Those employees were out looking for jobs that would allow them to pay rent — not jobs that offered playground equipment in the breakroom.

Source: GWFM NEWS