Some people look forward to their lunch break or 3 p.m. coffee at the office — but Liz Martin eagerly awaits her afternoon pickleball match against her co-workers.
"I never thought I'd be into pickleball, but now, it's one of my favorite parts of the day," says Martin, who started playing pickleball a year ago.Room & Board installed the court in 2013 to complement its in-house gym. Although the sport has been a consistent favorite among employees since the court was first unveiled, its popularity has skyrocketed in the past two years, says Nancy Manley, Room & Board's chief people officer.during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Employees can use the court at any time before, during or after the workday, although most prefer to play pickleball in the morning and afternoon, says Manley, 63. "To have happy, healthy and productive employees, you need to give them the space and tools to take care of themselves," says Manley."Pickeball is just another outlet for people to de-stress and sweat a little."Debbie Hutson says it was hard to meet people outside of her direct team and make friends when she first joined Room & Board's staff as a compensation manager in January 2022. But playing pickleball at the office"changed all of that," she says.