Last Thursday I got the chance to catch a glimpse of the world of Google - and it did not disappoint. My reporting class and I were given a tour and a free delicious lunch at the Google Headquarters in Chelsea, New York. Here's a link to the real-estate deal.
Jessica Chan, a business process & compliance specialist at Google, showed us the facility and explained Google's employer-friendly mantra. Rejecting a typical big corporation style, Google tries to create a positive work environment, she said. The company provides employers with free meals (breakfast,lunch and dinner), color coordinated based on nutritious value, and free gym memberships.
"Google wants to promote a healthy lifestyle," she said. The main eateries are two cafeterias, but it's halls are home to many snack stations for workers on the go. I sampled some fruit and nuts myself.
Aside from the ample supply of free food, Google has turned it's headquarters into Charlie's Chocolate Factory for grown ups. The walls are painted in vibrant greens and reds and workers can ride around on scooters to cross the avenue-long building. When they need time to relax, employers can opt to unwind in the game room or the massage room.
The final stage of the tour was the free lunch. Options varied from do-it-yourself salads, mushroom risotto, crisp roasted pork belly and Vietnamese chicken wings. Everything was well worth my morning of hunger. I even snagged some desserts - espresso cookie pudding and oatmeal cookies - to take home. By the end of the experience I was full, in awe, and ready to find a way to work there one day myself.
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