PSonCampus

It’s been a while coming, but finally there is light at the end of the tunnel! Ever since Consolidated Restaurants closed the beloved Union Square Grill in our office building, Two Union Square, we’ve been missing an easily accessible lunch and grab-a-drink-after-work spot. Yesterday the Puget Sound Business Journal announced that Sullivan’s Steakhouse is opening in June.

When we lost the Union Square Grill, at first I didn’t think much of it. There are still tons of fabulous restaurants located within a stone’s throw of our office and I wasn’t worried that we’d starve. What I hadn’t anticipated missing was the loss of a shared community gathering space. It was nice to wander into the bar or restaurant and see your co-workers on unplanned occasions. I often had the chance to chat with people I wouldn’t otherwise have spoken to that day, and to get to know someone better in a more relaxed environment.

W. P. Carey management Professor Blake Ashforth, who writes about ‘corporate tribalism,’ explains it this way:

• A pack of paralegals or a covey of consultants drinking java or hanging about the proverbial water cooler is not so different from a tribe of Neolithic hunters sitting around a campfire. We as a species have come a long way since the days when the morning commute meant braving saber-tooth tigers but, at our core, people are still very much the same social animals we’ve always been. We want to feel like we belong and we value our closest connections beyond people we don’t know.
• Small groups of employees function better if their members feel like they truly know one another. Therefore, it is in the best interest of the organization to encourage employees to develop personal rapport.
• When workgroups do not have the opportunity to socialize they can feel disconnected from their own tribe and thus the larger organization.

I think we do a great job at Peterson Sullivan of maintaining the corporate tribe. Whether it’s First Friday parties, the softball team, or volunteering together, we provide our employees with opportunities to develop close connections in a casual atmosphere outside of work. The really cool thing is that so many of those opportunities are generated and maintained by the employees themselves, with absolutely no involvement from HR. And it’s not just because that makes my job so much easier (although I really do appreciate that aspect!) But when I see employees getting together outside of work, willingly, voluntarily, and with no involvement or prodding from the company, I know it’s because they actually like each other and enjoy spending time together. And that’s just one of the reasons this is a great place to work.

What’s your favorite way of connecting with your work tribe?

Read the full article about Sullivan’s Seattle restauraunt opening.

Read more about corporate tribalism in the article Water Cooler Talk Keeps Organizational Culture Real.