By Naeem Morgan, Emerging Leaders Program
As a transplant to Texas and someone who has lived in different places throughout my life, I recognize that community is powerful, and it can take many different shapes. At Fidelity’s Westlake campus, ping pong is our community.
Next to the cafeteria are countless games people can play throughout the day – cornhole, air hockey, foosball, but what always catches my attention is the rhythmic sound from the ping pong table. The games range from casual bouts of friendship to intense rivalries, all entertaining to watch. Some draw spectators; others do not. One thing is certain, there will always be someone playing.
My fascination with the ping pong community runs deep. Was there club where people made friends? Did these people meet outside of work hours to play? Was there an unofficial ping pong ranking floating around? Special t-shirts? I admire the power of communities, especially niche and unexpected ones. At Fidelity there are a lot of traditional communities you can join, such Employee Resource Groups (ERG’s) and Special Interest Groups (SIG’s). However, communities that form on their own and take their own shape out of love for something unique – that speaks to not only the types of people who work here but also the type of work environment. One that encourages communities to form naturally and then takes it one step further by supporting and nurturing it.
In late September, the annual Fidelity Westlake Ping Pong Tournament was held in not just one but BOTH buildings on campus. Drew, one of the event organizers, shared his thoughts on the overall value, “It’s amazing that an employer like Fidelity actually provides the tables for associates to play. It gives us a great work-life balance but also provides a lot of opportunities to network and maintain relationships in the office.” Part of his role as organizer was to put the doubles teams together. “There were people I randomly paired together and later seeing them play is special to me because they’ve never met before and I’ve helped facilitate a new connection.”
On the day of the tournament, there was a consistent crowd, trophies and yes, matching t-shirts. Extra tables were brought in, cameras set-up and an emcee identified. This allowed the tournament to be watched and heard across the globe. Doubles and singles tournaments were on the line-up. The games were very intense, with a lot of movement and focus. You could tell the participants and the audience were locked into that moment. At the end of the tournament, a champion was crowned, trophies were given out, and the high spirits and support that I observed at the beginning were kept and maintained all throughout.
Karina, who joined Fidelity earlier in the year, never really played ping pong before but, she shared, “the idea that we could play ping pong at work is so cool, so I signed up for the tournament immediately.” Dylan, another competitor, found an unexpected re-connection. A friend he knew from the Dallas area was recently hired and asked if Dylan would be his partner in the doubles competition. “We weren’t super close before he started. But when he reached out to me, of course, I said yes. We got closer over the couple of weeks while practicing. We made it all the way to the finals, and we won.” Dylan went on to share that ping pong has really influenced how he feels about Fidelity as an employer. “I’ve worked places, where the job itself is fulfilling, which I think is the most important part. Those jobs came with perks like free coffee and/or a meal voucher.” Dylan explained he finds nothing wrong with that but said, “it helps having things outside of work that just incentivize you to come in the office or meet new people. Ping pong breaks up the repetition. It helps to mix things up.”
Throughout the tournament, people were happy for each other and happy to have participated. Plus, participants got to go home with some pretty cool collectibles like the tournament t-shirt. The winners were fortunate enough to also take home a trophy (and bragging rights). As I was walking around, talking to the people that had already played or were getting ready to play, my fascination was confirmed. There is a community of people that connect through the game and make lasting relationships that will carry on long after the tournament ends. Maybe you’ll join us next year!
