8 reasons why you need a table tennis table at work

Why Table Tennis (aka Ping Pong) is a great idea for your workplace

Having worked at many call centres across my career there is normally one good sign you’re working at a good one…

It’s got a table tennis table!!!

Having a table tennis table at work will improve employee engagement, reduce employee attrition, improve employee retention – the list goes on.

And the research couldn’t be clearer – happy employees translate to happy customers.

So if your call centre or workplace doesn’t have one, here are some ideas to help convince the boss you need one.

8 reasons why you need a table tennis table at work

1. You’ll make new friends

As long as there are a few bats and balls lying around its pretty much game on!

It doesn’t matter what your age is, whether it’s your first game or you’ve been playing for years.

Just pick up a bat and someone is bound to join you!

2. It’s a great way to blow off some steam

No matter what your job is there are always moments of the day where you can get a little frustrated, especially dealing with customers all day in the call centre.

Doing any form of exercise is a proven way to reduce stress and a good game of table tennis table will certainly get your heart rate moving!

So when you feel that tension building take some of that frustration on the ball.

3. They’re cheap!

Sadly for many workplaces trying to secure some money for R&R activities is about as likely as avoiding excess baggage fees on Jetstar!

Thankfully you can pick up a brand new table tennis table for under $300.

So even if you can’t squeeze some money out of the boss, a couple of raffles or chocolate drives and you’ll have the cash in no time!

4. You can have some healthy competition

Whether it’s taking on one of your call centre teammates, going toe to toe with the boss or even an organised competition you’ll get those competitive juices flowing in no time.

And don’t just restrict the competitions to one section of your business.

Workplace wide competitions can be a great morale builder and it provides you with a great opportunity to meet others and share a laugh or two along the way.

The only thing you need to decide is whether to let the big boss win the game?

5. It gets you moving

Let’s face it, working in an office/call centre can often meaning sitting for long periods of time.

Table tennis is a great way to get the blood pumping and release some of those ‘feel-good’ hormones without being too hard on the joints.

As its played a waist height all you need to be able to do is swing your arm, throwing in a little wrist flicking action and pow!

6. It’s quick

There’s no preparation required –just pick up a bat and ball and start hitting.

So make the most of those quick call centre breaks and squeeze in a game of table tennis with a friend or make a new one

Even just a quick 5-minute game will give you a good boost of energy and help improve your productivity and lower stress.

7. You’ll build new skills

Like all sports practice makes perfect. Spending hours playing table tennis will hone your reflexes and improve your hand/eye coordination.

If you’ve ever watched a game of professional table tennis it can also get quite physical –- elite players are fast, flexible and have a lot of stamina.

Not bad skills to have.

8. It’s adaptable

When I was working at my last call centre we developed our own hybrid game of table tennis to add a bit of variety to the standard game.

Bonus points for catching the ball, hitting a winning shot into the bin and even points for smashing your opponent in the head (OK maybe in hindsight, not the smartest idea..) all added some extra fun into the game.

Honestly, some of the best fun I’ve ever had in a workplace was over a table tennis table that has left me with some great memories! Special mention to Rick Allan, Nathan Burke, Matt Tonkin, Cam Preston and Ali Bodler who all used to partake in some epic battles in Melbourne and to Clancy Broderick flying the flag in New Zealand.

The point is to be creative and develop your own local rules for some added fun!

Summary

Table tennis tables are cheap to implement, can involve your whole workplace, reduce stress and help you make new friends.

With a great return on investment, there really are no excuses not to invest in table tennis at work!

Recommended further reading: How to motivate employees without the cheap gimmicks

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