I love Google as an employer. I think they're fantastic.
They run a great recruitment process, and they look after their employees.
In fact, in recent years they've become increasingly famous for their company culture.
It's not hard to know why since everyone's talking about it.
And if you're not much of a reader, you should check out the film "The Internship".
They show off a good few of Google's employee perks in there (it's actually quite funny, too).
So, without further ado, here's an insight to the perks you'll receive working at Google...
Warning: you may get a little bit jealous
Let's talk food
We'll start with the most well-known and most sought after perk.
The food.
It needs little introduction really so here's what's on offer.
Free food
Quite a few companies offer some sort of food perk, so it's not uncommon.
At Coburg Banks, we offer free fruit to our employees to encourage healthy eating.
Although, we've got nothing on Google.
All of their onsite cafes and canteens provide free meals and fruit to the employees.
You can also pick up a snack and keep it for later.
Free cooking classes
If free food wasn't enough, you can also learn how to cook fantastic meals too.
But they're not just trying to improve your cooking skills.
Oh no, in fact they're trying to allow different departments to work together and meet new people who they may not usually work with.
Sneaky, but a great idea.
It's always great to improve teamwork.
Health and family
It's really rare to find a company that cares so much about an employee that they care about their family's well being too.
There was one lady that actually cried when she heard about Google's "death benefit" (as morbid as it sounds).
Keep on reading to find out more about it.
Free onsite gym/gym classes
A lot of health care providers give incentives such as reimbursing gym membership costs to encourage a healthy lifestyle.
That means that it's not uncommon to find this perk in a workplace.
Although, it's less common to actually have a gym inside of your workplace.
Did I mention that it's open for use whenever the employees want?
Exercise is a great stress buster so getting involved in classes can really help Google boost their employee's morale.
Massage therapists
If the Googlers injure themselves in the gym, or just fancy relaxing, they can also head over to the onsite massage therapists.
Yep. You read that right!
Why book a spa day when you can get a treatment at work?
Onsite medical staff
Perhaps the injury is bad and getting a massage wouldn't help, or maybe the Googler just feels a bit under the weather recently.
In that case, visiting a masseuse probably isn't your best bet.
Instead, Google provide onsite medical staff which employees can book appointments with.
No more irritating call-queues or waiting days to book in with your doctors!
The "Death Benefit"
This perk really is a touching thought on Google's part, especially since it's a no-win for the company.
Google's Chief People Officer, Laszlo Bock said: "...turns out that the reason we’re doing these things for employees is not because it’s important to the business, but simply because it’s the right thing to do."
So, what is the death benefit?
If a Googler dies whilst they're under the employment of Google, their spouse will receive 50% of their salary in a cheque for the next ten years.
And if that didn't take your breath away, any (and each) of the children of the deceased will also receive $1,000 a month until the age of 19 (or 23 if in full time education).
The spouse will also see all stocks vested immediately.
Plus, most of Google's 34 thousand employees qualify for this perk.
That's a company that really cares about its people!
Paternity/Maternity
Anyway, let's move to the other end of the life cycle.
Paternity is a sore, and difficult subject for some companies.
In comparison to the UK's 2 weeks (qualifying) paternity leave, Google offer 7 weeks paid paternity and 18-22 weeks paid maternity leave.
That's not all though. Whoever the primary caregiver is, regardless of gender, can claim up to 12 weeks of paid leave.
This is also true for adoptive or surrogate parents.
Oh, and they throw in a little cash bonus to new parents too!
Decompression Capsules
Didn't get the best sleep last night? Coffee not doing it for you?
Good job Google have the "decompression capsules" on hand!
These little pods are sound and light proof, so you can catch a few zeds even during the busiest hour of the day.
Hobbies
Google believe that it's important for their staff to take time to do what they enjoy.
Let's be honest, you enjoy work more when you have a good work-life balance.
That's why they offer these little perks...
"20% time policy"
This policy goes by the ratio of 80% work, 20% play.
Google give their employees the chance to go out and invest their time into a side project.
Whether that's learning to code, or something else that will spark creativity, they're more than welcome to take 20% of their time to do so.
Turns out a lot of the side projects have turned into something much bigger. Gmail is only one example of many.
Discounts for events
Google offers discounts for their employees to attend events where they're likely to learn something new that would help them in their job.
They also offer discounts to their employees for a selection of museums.
Oh and, get this, Google will sometimes arrange events so that their employees can meet the people who inspire them.
Some of those people include Ryan Reynolds, Lady Gaga, and Josh Groban who discussed their recent or previous successes and experiences.
Charitable events
Another perk available for Google employees is giving them the choice of dedicating 20 hours of work time to volunteer every year.
They also put on a day called "GoogleServe" which is where Googlers get together to volunteer in their communities.
Google also will match any donations their employees make to charities, too.
Food for thought
It's not all about the physical perks Google offers, their employees also benefit from...
Working with future technology
That's right.
Google employees get the honour of working with technology that we can't even comprehend!
In fact, they're probably creating flying cars as we speak... (Just kidding, sort of).
They also get the feeling of being part of something much bigger. Their input to projects can help millions of people worldwide.
If that's not rewarding in a job, I'm not sure what is!
Working with some of the most diverse people
I wrote a blog a while back on how Google recruit.
Looking at that, I know full well that they have a variety of people working for them.
Humans learn from interacting with other humans, so working for Google there are endless opportunities to learn.
Plus, Google has some of the brightest and innovative minds in the tech industry, so working alongside them must be amazing!
Home away from home
There are a lot of basic stresses at home, all of which can add up and cause stress at work, too.
Need that outfit washing? Need to get your hair cut before that night out? Want a pet dog but can't leave it at home alone?
Maybe you should consider working for Google...
Laundry day
Google have their own onsite launderette where employees can take their laundry and make sure it's done.
Turns out, that's a free service too!
The money saved on bills must be great, plus you've got your time at home to relax.
Fresh trim
Since you've got your laundry done, you may fancy tidying the mop on your head up too.
It's all good, Google offer free onsite haircuts for their employees.
Actually, it's a really good way to ensure employees look smart for meetings, too!
Dogs are welcome
Yep, you read that right!
Pups and dogs are more than welcome on the premises so that they aren't left at home all day alone.
Although, there is a rule that goes hand-in-hand with this: owners are solely responsible for cleaning up their dog's mess.
Fair enough though, right?
Transport
Google offer shuttle buses to certain HQs.
This means that employees are able to hop on the bus into town, or make their way to and from work for free.
The shuttle bus is also kitted out with fully working air-con and WiFi too, which is great if you have a few loose ends to tie up on a project.
Finally...
This is the one we've all been waiting for.
The rec room!
In which you can find:
- a pool table
- ping pong table
- Foosball
- arcade games
- rock climbing
- onsite volleyball
- and roller hockey!
They also have a swimming pool onsite too, in case you fancy a quick swim.
As the saying goes, work hard - play hard!
Summary
Well, even I'm feeling sorry for myself now.
Google offer amazing perks for their employees and are rewarded with great output.
There's proof in the pudding that good employee benefits result in higher employee satisfaction and lower turnover rates.
If you fancy checking out some other weird and wonderful perks, have a read of these.
Anyway, I've got to go now, I have an application to Google I need to finish.
Just kidding, I'm not sure I'd make it since I'm often referred to as a technophobe, but happy Friday in any case!
P.S. you can receive our Friday Funnies straight to your inbox! Just subscribe to our blog here and we'll do the rest.
