I want to work for Google

Duke said:
Expect you'd need to perform highly to get these perks. I wonder how many make use of them after the first few weeks/months.
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I think most people would make use of them from the first day onwards... would be a bit silly to go and buy lunch when it takes less time to eat the free lunch specifically provided for you. If anything your first few weeks would surely when you'd be less likely to go elsewhere for lunch and more likely to work a bit longer to get settled in and get used to their way of doing things.
 
Those pictures in the OP look like the Ministry of Magic, and probably equally as sinister in terms of politics. The only difference is that Google are in bed with the gov't and FBI, GCHQ etc, not Voldermort / Death Eaters.
 
A mate from uni works for google NYC. At first I thought it would be awesome to work for them, he got me an interview but I didn't get the job because of my lack of Open Source development experience (was heavily proprietry at the time). But as the years have gone on the friend has turned into more and more of a drone, I would say he has sold out. Couldnt even take a joke about google glass when I last saw him. He also gets worked really hard, only really the devs get treated well from what I gathered.
 
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G-MAN2004 said:
Am I the only one that wouldn't be bothered about all that rubbish? I'd just want to get to work, do my job and naff off as soon as possible.
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Nope, I totally agree as much as I don't mind my job it's there purely to fund my life outside of work.
 
There's a balance to be struck, and Google go a bit towards adult creche. Still, when you have a lot of UK businesses treating ideas like "giving employees the equipment they need to get the job done" as some sort of witchcraft then there's not a lot of room to be chucking stones.
 
Google is probably a different beast but I've worked for many companies that offered 'perks' such as table tennis, pool, fitness classes at lunch time, foosball. Were they ever used? Yes, the first couple of weeks and never again. People are too busy and get bogged down with what they are there for. Senior management also started to clock watch.

I'd like to think I'd do it differently with my companies but in reality, when deadlines are looming and work needs done...
 
Hades said:
Yep. Make a place great to work and you attract the best people who are happy to go above and beyond.
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This. So many bosses/companies don't realise how important the happiness and morale of employees is.

shifty_uk said:
Google is probably a different beast but I've worked for many companies that offered 'perks' such as table tennis, pool, fitness classes at lunch time, foosball. Were they ever used? Yes, the first couple of weeks and never again. People are too busy and get bogged down with what they are there for. Senior management also started to clock watch.

I'd like to think I'd do it differently with my companies but in reality, when deadlines are looming and work needs done...
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It does also depend on the nature of the work though. As a developer, I would find it extremely useful to go sit in one of those privacy pod things, or play table tennis, or do something different while I think about the problem away from the screen and revisit it. Yes, there are deadlines, but it doesn't help having to sit at a desk and stare at a screen when the problem is particularly tricky.
 
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oulton said:
But as the years have gone on the friend has turned into more and more of a drone, I would say he has sold out. Couldnt even take a joke about google glass when I last saw him. He also gets worked really hard, only really the devs get treated well from what I gathered.
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Exactly this, I know a few people who went from agency backgrounds to some large players in the market (wont name which) and it sounds boring as hell.
 
mrk said:
I can see the area where Allo was first born and its advanced features envisioned.

I can also see the area several feet away where all those features went out the window when the worker decided to climb a damn wall instead.
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Allo was born out of my ass, and to be honest it should have stayed there.
 
Craig321 said:
It does also depend on the nature of the work though. As a developer, I would find it extremely useful to go sit in one of those privacy pod things, or play table tennis, or do something different while I think about the problem away from the screen and revisit it. Yes, there are deadlines, but it doesn't help having to sit at a desk and stare at a screen when the problem is particularly tricky.
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My office is entirely open plan and it's like hell on earth. I probably have about three productive hours a day.
 
Craig321 said:
It does also depend on the nature of the work though. As a developer, I would find it extremely useful to go sit in one of those privacy pod things, or play table tennis, or do something different while I think about the problem away from the screen and revisit it. Yes, there are deadlines, but it doesn't help having to sit at a desk and stare at a screen when the problem is particularly tricky.
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I can really appreciate this now. Having spent years working for agencies/in-house in open plan offices, staring at a screen with frustrating distractions all around. Now that I run an agency, I can work remotely as I please, getting away from the computer for even 10 minutes has a massive effect - 9 times out of 10, I'll figure out issues away from the desk.

Open plan offices are awful, imo but because of overheads are often necessary.
 
Caged said:
I have solved so many issues just by thinking about them while sitting on the can
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It's not unknown for a solution to a work problem from the day before to randomly pop into my head while on the can in the morning, it's nice to start the day off on a positive note :D
 
Caged said:
My office is entirely open plan and it's like hell on earth. I probably have about three productive hours a day.
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Same. The boss just doesn't understand that though as he's never been a developer.

I can use my earphones for music, but sometime's it's just peace I need to figure something out.
 
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