Yelp encourages Scottsdale employees to relax at work
Jun 19, 2012, 7:58 PM | Updated: 8:08 pm
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – While the U.S. Labor Department said American workers’ productivity dropped in the first quarter of this year, one company with an office in the Valley said it’s getting more out of its workers by encouraging them to take a break.
At Yelp in Scottsdale, hundreds of workers can connect you with the services you need. ”
It’s the auto industry, it’s restaurants, it’s lawyers,” said John Garnan, the Director of Sales Recruiting at Yelp. “It’s everything you can think about where you spend money for a service in your neighborhoods.”
Garnan said the 7-year-old company realized its hardworking employees occassionally need a break.
“Short breaks increase worker productivity,” said Garnan.
So they created a 60,000-square-foot office that has everything they need to relax a little bit.
“If someone works for three hours, and they need to get their mind right or need a break, we’ve got pool tables, ping pong tables, fooseball tables and game rooms,” said Garnan.
They have a quiet room where workers can relax in a chair that gives them a massage. The company even has a beer station where workers can enjoy a cold one with their co-workers before heading home on Friday. The company wants its’ people to enjoy their job.
“If you can understand that you’re employees are happy, they’re working hard, and the production has increased, it’s well worth the money that we spend,” said Garnan.