Ask HN: Women in tech, how do you find non-toxic work environments?
I don&#x27;t really get the reference to ping pong tables and free beer...?<p>Is it a metaphor, or is the commenter literally referring to those things?<p>I&#x27;ve worked in a range of places
* Investment bank - German, very formal, very little perks
* Options Trading Company - Dutch, laid-back, casual dress, free alcohol, free food, lots of games, lots of perks
* Database Company - Tech startup, fairly well funded, casual dress, alcohol and some games (e.g pool). - medium perks
* Search Engine Company (Current) - Tech, well funded, casual dress, free food, games and consoles everywhere - lots of perks<p>I don&#x27;t drink alcohol - and I don&#x27;t really play ping pong or pool. And I don&#x27;t play console games.<p>But if I interview at a place and saw those things around, I&#x27;m not really sure I&#x27;d hold it <i>against</i> the place.<p>I mean, sure, other people can enjoy them, and I won&#x27;t. As long as they provide some things I want, that&#x27;s cool with me.<p>It sounds like a lot of what the commenter wants&#x2F;desires are personal preferences, as opposed to gender things.<p>What&#x27;s to say a girl can&#x27;t enjoy beer? Or ping pong? (I studied engineering in uni - and there were girls there who could drink most guys under the table.)<p>I mean, I don&#x27;t want&#x2F;enjoy some of those things - but I&#x27;m not a woman. Sure, you get the occasional stupid comment from some guy when you order a cranberry juice at a work function instead of drinking beer like the &quot;bros&quot; - but that&#x27;s happened what, once in 7 years? And I suspect (and took it) as more an off-key joke than anything malicious.