Working late is one thing, drinking late with the team, week-end outings and strategy dinners with the team gives a whole new meaning to “get a life”– a life outside of your co-workers is the new trick. A 2015 survey by the Society for Human Resource Management reported in the WSJ that the team building push, led by tech firms trying to woo 20-somethings, has resulted in 21% of employers offering on-site fitness centers, 22% providing free snacks and drinks, and 48% offering community-volunteer programs. (It found that 5% provide vegetable gardens at the office.) TheSquareFoot.com, an online commercial real-estate leasing and brokerage company in New York “solved the problem” by inviting spouses and friends of employees working on week-ends to hang out and enjoy their well-stocked kitchen, videogame gear and workout equipment. Co-founder and COO, Justin Lee, summed up, “This isn’t just a place of business, it’s where we’d love for you to hang out and balance life and work.” Just like home, oh dear, this is bad news for the Home Builders’ market.
July 15, 2015