Rule #4-A pizza party does not a culture make

When I was first working on a golf course, I remember very well the kind of things that made me jump out of bed in the morning. Using a new piece of equipment, a task I particularly enjoyed, or working on a project with the rest of the team were all the sort of things that had me up before the alarm went off. Enjoyable work, day after day far outweighed the odd pizza party. 

When I say pizza party, I’m using it as a metaphor for the extra stuff and things that can come as part of a team. Nobody is going to turn down a pizza party, but it’s also not going to get your employees out of bed at 4:30, day after day, week after week. 

Pizza parties and gear, golf and games are great, but they need to be additive to your workplace culture. Fun extras, rather than moments essential to keeping your team happy. You can’t pizza party your way to a great workplace culture.

Your team should want to be at work because it's fun and inspiring, not because a long day might occasionally earn them a pizza party. 

Author and organizational psychologist, Adam Grant studies and writes about workplace culture. His books and podcasts are excellent and in them he talks over and over about today’s workforce wanting: autonomy, meaningful work, and a caring workplace. You don’t get these three things from pizza parties. 

The quote below comes from one particular article:

“Grant suggests that leaders can foster a sense of meaning by aligning employees' work with their values and passions. This involves acknowledging their unique strengths and allowing them to use those strengths to make a positive impact. It's about moving beyond the traditional model of simply trading time for pay and creating an environment where people genuinely believe in the mission of the organization.”

The one particular line that gets me in this statement is “...the traditional model of simply trading time for pay.” I think the golf course management business, for too long, has looked at employees in a simply transactional manner. We pay them, they should work hard and do what we want.

Every employee wants to be paid—they aren’t going to do the job for nothing. They also aren’t going to do the job just for the money. What gets your employees out of bed in the morning and sends them home wanting to come back? This, more than the occasional pizza party, is what creates a great workplace culture.