Wednesday's Hump Day: Unique Places to Work
Have you ever sat at your desk and wondered what it would be like to work at a place that wasn't your conventional workplace environment? Perhaps, a place that was full of things to do and look at, full of things that really sparked your interest, would be so much more fun?
Well, I did some research and found a little more about some companies that are a pure blast to work for. For example, let's take a look at Google. The goal of the company, as stated by the CEO, Eric Schmidt; "The goal is to strip away everything that gets in our employees' way. We provide a standard package of fringe benefits, but on top of that are first-class dining facilities, gyms, laundry rooms, massage rooms, haircuts, carwashes, dry cleaning, commuting buses-just about anything a hardworking employee might want. Let's face it, programmers want to program, they don't want to do their laundry. So we make it easy for them to do both." It was also stated on the Google website that the founders have been known to say the company is not serious about anything but search.
I was curious to see how work could take place in an environment that is filled with large toy balls, connect links, foosball tables and whimsical lava lamps. So I began watching some of the inside videos of Google. Here, I found that Google works with only the best. Their employees range from students straight out of college, to entrepreneurs that have been in the business for over 25 years. On top of having some of the top people in the corporation, Google has benefits of the job that are unreal. Benefits include everything from your basic health benefits, 401K and holiday pay, to vacation time (with the 1st year starting at 15 days), 12 weeks paid maternity leave, parental leave, a take-out benefit and even back-up childcare. The list goes on. On the job itself, employee's are even offered free lunch and dinner and an on-site doctor. Although, the Top Ten Reasons to Work at Google list, located on the Google website is modest in wording, most of us can see from the list of "perks", that working for Google is more than just a "blast". It could possibly be considered, a life-changing, experience. For most of us, working at Google is a dream.
Another company I found, while googling the web is Pixar. They are creative both inside and out. I guess you can imagine it would be hard to design animations like Nemo and WALL-E, in a boring workspace? With Pixar, workspaces are a little different. Instead of back to back cubicles and typical square offices, Pixar is full of huts and garden sheds. You will also find pieces of art that you probably wouldn't find in most work places. It is all full of vibrant colors and themes of the ocean and beyond! Getting more technical on us would be the ultimate computing room! Welcome to Renderfarm. Pixar has a computer room like no other. It is told to be blazing with bright, blinking neon lights.
Among some of the "extras" featured, are the café and game room, best of all, the well-known cereal room. There is also an atrium created for employee's on their break time. This allows them to discuss ideas, while in an even more relaxing environment. Oh, and don't forget to check out their state-of-the-art screening room! This is where a lot of the 1st screening debuts occur.
Well, although there are many unique places to work, these were two that I found to be way outside of my norm. Check out some of the links below to find even more unique work places! Some that have indoor slides, fountains and more!
http://www.designverb.com/2006/08/22/red-bull-hq-london-whoohoooo/
http://positivesharing.com/2006/10/10-seeeeeriously-cool-workplaces/
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/wall_e/news/1741321/18/exclusive_inside_pixar_a_photo_tour
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