Employee Retention via a Pool Table

Recruiting in the Internet Realm

I don't know who did it first - whether it be Microsoft, Google, etc., but the moment a pool table was put into one of those offices, recruiting in the internet realm it became nearly impossible for the small guys to recruit and even harder for the employees of the big guys to leave.

Yes. Compared to any other office I know of or have been to, Google's office (I was only at one) was much cooler than the average company.

Free lunch, scooters, religious meetings, laundry, massages, billiards, etc.; as I said, much cooler.

However, what started out as probably a fun thing (in 1996), would have profound effects on employee retention within these firms and the day that pool table was delivered, was the day that the small guys in the internet realm lost half their recruiting initiatives.

Why is this so?

Google, Facebook, etc. are now known for being the pinnacle places to work in the internet world. Forget about them being the best, it has to do with them treating their employees to the most perks....and the most expensive perks.

Therefore, if small internet business wanted to recruit from Google, they would be looking to pay up to 50% over the market because they are not only having to buy someone from the giant, they have to pay for his lunch and laundry, too.

You can also add on another 10% towards the end of the negotiation process because the prospective employee will get cold feet because all the lunches, pool games, late nights at the office, etc. turned into not only work for the person, but their social life as well.

As an employer trying to retain employees, of course you want a "campus." Because when you leave "campus," you leave your friends and life behind and, for what - a hit or miss smaller internet firm?

What people don't understand:

It's not the pool table or the scooters (which - who the heck is going to roll around on a scooter all day anyway?), it's the ability to brag that you have those in your office.

Therefore, these internet companies were smart enough to not only make their employees psychologically dependent on perks that really are not used too often, but those employees go and brag about them.

Of course there are unhappy employees there. Where there is a job, there is an unhappy employee (even Elvis supposedly hated his boss).

However, the management of these firms is a lot happier than their smaller competition who can't afford a billiards room nor 15 stations of pasta and, at day's close, so are the employees.

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