Game On | How Security Benefit Is Redefining Workplace Culture
By KIM GRONNIGER | Photos by BRIAN PETERS
Fully equipped breakrooms, cafes and coffee bars have replaced watercoolers as popular spaces to gather for refreshment and conversation at work.
The latest breakroom trend? Game rooms.
These arcade-like amenities are popping up at workplaces around the country, including Security Benefit in Topeka. They’ve become a welcoming space for employees who want to connect — or compete — with colleagues over a friendly game of pool, ping pong, Pac-Man or Pop-a-Shot.
A SPACE DESIGNED BY EMPLOYEES, FOR EMPLOYEES
After the COVID-19 pandemic, Security Benefit adopted a hybrid work environment, with employees working three days in the office and two at home.
The company surveyed its employees in June 2023 to gather ideas for how they could make returning to the office more enjoyable. Employees were so enthusiastic about the idea for a game room at Topeka’s home office that they convinced the company to convert a sizable storage area into an energizing place for breaks, lunch hours, team meetings and happy hours.
Known as the Wolff ’s Den, a nod to CEO Doug Wolff, Security Benefit’s game room opened in September 2024 with options for every gaming taste, from arcade cabinets to board games and puzzles. The breakroom also features a large-screen television and ample seating.
“Employee engagement is an important aspect of our culture,” Doug said. “The game room gives employees an inviting environment for relaxing or recharging during the day on their own or in the company of their coworkers. Many of our employees are both collaborative and competitive, so the game room also helps facilitate teamwork and respect for others — values that are expressed through their job performance, too.”
Security Benefit’s history inspired the game room’s eye-grabbing design. The number “eight” in the year of the company’s founding, 1892, is represented by an eight ball in the pool table corner. A wall graphic of the company’s early Knights and Ladies of Security logo, which showed a man and woman shaking hands, was repurposed to show them wielding ping pong paddles instead.
CREATING SPACES FOR CONNECTION AND ENGAGEMENT
The company added more amenities to its campus in 2024, including a walking trail around the building’s perimeter and an upgraded patio with plants, comfortable seating and an awning.
On the building’s ground floor, another space was repurposed into the new Legacy Lounge, featuring a photo collage backdrop and the company’s “To and Through Retirement” tagline. Living room furniture was added to create a quiet spot for employees to use.
“We wanted to design spaces that would transform play into a powerful extension of our brand while still paying homage to our heritage,” said Lindsay Baker, brand manager at Security Benefit.
Chelsi Turner, senior director of executive administration and corporate events, oversaw the transformation project.
“It’s been gratifying to see employees across all departments use the spaces for team meetings and social gatherings, or just on their own if they want to work in a different area of the building for a change of pace,” Chelsi said. “We listened to what employees said they wanted on our survey and it’s exciting to see their ideas come to life.”
“There’s tremendous competition for recruiting and retaining high-quality talent, especially in the financial services sector,” Doug said. “We’re all seeking low turnover and high production while ensuring our employees feel good about the work they’re doing and the mission they’re fulfilling. Transforming our spaces is a visual cue that we understand that many factors, including environmental ones, can influence job satisfaction.”
With satellite offices in Overland Park, Des Moines and New York City, and many remote employees across the country, Security Benefit is looking for ways to create connections among employees who don’t regularly visit the home office.
They now use Coffee Roulette, an online platform that allows any employee to sign up for a 30-minute conversation with another randomly selected employee. Employees can sign up for a weekly, monthly or quarterly coffee break.
Megan Rutledge, Security Benefit’s senior employee engagement coordinator who assisted with the building enhancements, now administers the Coffee Roulette program.
“Coffee Roulette has been popular because it pairs employees with coworkers they might not typically encounter,” Megan said. “You might have coffee with someone you’ve seen in the halls but never met or someone in another state or even an officer of the company.”
In addition to finding more ways to encourage interaction when employees are on site, Security Benefit is investing in several activities that promote engagement. Offerings run the gamut, from Bingo and vendor markets to tailgate lunches and turkey bowling.
BUILDING COMMUNITY INSIDE AND OUT
Founded by 11 men with only $11 to help people in need, Security Benefit brings their legacy of philanthropy to everything they do.
In 2024, the company hosted its first SB Cares Day. It provided three onsite volunteer opportunities for employees to assist nonprofits by assembling comfort kits for the homeless, school supplies for kids and cuddle blankets for infants.
Employees signed up to read books to pre-K children, shop for school supplies for Boys & Girls Clubs of Topeka and participate in a “Chopped”-style cooking competition with Harvesters to benefit the United Way of Kaw Valley.
“Relationships are fundamental to our retirement savings focus,” Doug said. “Whether employees are gathering to enjoy one another’s company or to help others, our culture is shaped by their commitment to community within the company and beyond. We believe the changes we’ve made will lead to more conversations and collaborations and enhance our recruitment and retention efforts as we continue to grow our business.”
