Google set to build swimming pool for Irish staff, PR masterstoke or not?

Bride2012

Google set to build swimming pool for Irish staff

GOOGLE IRELAND HAS confirmed plans to build an in-house swimming pool for employees in its new building in the Docklands area of Dublin.
A spokesperson for the search giant said it will apply for planning permission for a swimming pool and gym at the Montevetro building, which it purchased for just under €100million earlier this year.
The facilities will be the latest additions to a line of perks enjoyed by Google staff. One former employee at the firm’s Dublin office told TheJournal.ie that workers can avail of a wide range of free food and entertainment.
Every floor has an area with a Nintendo Wii, table football and a pool table for staff to use, the former staffer said.
Part of the company’s mission statement is to offer “generous nutrition and fitness benefits.” “You get free breakfast and lunch every day,” the former employee said. “There’s sushi every day; they have pastry chefs on staff. You get free beers on Friday, from five o’clock.”
The company’s parties are also well known, with one apparently involving the hiring out of entire funfair rides for staff.
The Irish Times reports that the swimming pool is likely to occupy part of the three basement levels of the Montevetro building, which is the tallest office building in Dublin.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/frontpage/2011/1102/1224306913177.html

My name is URL

*jealous of Google employees*

Biggins

It should go down swimmingly!

Hank_Jones

Google....Goggles....

Coincidence?

I think not...

InkSlinger67

I bet Google HQ are regretting employing Willy Wonka as their entertainment officer now

AnonoBoy

Google employees aren't allowed check their personal gmail accounts during work hours.

Or so I've heard.

cosmicfart

I need an underwater laptop!

MungBean

All well and good until someone gets electrocuted.

Tom

They want plenty of reasons why their employees don't have to leave the building and have a life...

Laisurg

I wanna work for google

Oranage2

Who the f*ck cares.

I can go to the local swimming pool anytime I like!

jester77

AnonoBoy wrote: »

Google employees aren't allowed check their personal gmail accounts during work hours.

Or so I've heard.

You've heard wrong!

prinz

PR breaststroke more like. AH, it's punnnnnnnnntastic.

Biggins

Hank_Jones wrote: »

Google....Goggles....

Coincidence?

I think not...

Google goggles - the mind boggles!

mackg

Tom wrote: »

They want plenty of reasons why their employees don't have to leave the building and have a life...

Being happy in your job is probably going to lead to you being more happy overall, being in a good frame of mind would imo make it more likely you will have "a life". Rather than spending your off time dreading going back to a job where you feel under valued, it's not as if hating your job guarantees you won't have a life but liking it is certainly not a negative thing.

El Weirdo

How is it a PR master stroke?

HR maybe.

pajunior

El Weirdo wrote: »

How is it a PR master stroke?

HR maybe.

It's a competitive market out there for employers like google. They need to sell themselves as well as possible to prospective employees.

HavingCrack

mackg wrote: »

Being happy in your job is probably going to lead to you being more happy overall, being in a good frame of mind would imo make it more likely you will have "a life". Rather than spending your off time dreading going back to a job where you feel under valued, it's not as if hating your job guarantees you won't have a life but liking it is certainly not a negative thing.

Quite a few ex-Google employees (including one I know personally) aren't actually that endeared with working there. Apparently the pay is pretty poor by industry standards and the working hours are very long and there seems be a lot of fairly crap managers hanging around the company. You can have all the gimicks you like but in the end it does seem that when it comes down to it pay, working hours and good management are the things employees value most.

Edit: I've never worked for Google and don't actually work in the industry so I'm just basing it on what I've been told, I may be incorrect.

mikemac

Sure the local boyos dive off the pedestrian bridge or into the stagnant water in Georges Dock

If it's good enough for the locals, the google staff can do the same

who the fug

Could be a hint to the employees by the managment to go and have a wash

human repellent

I work in the industry, i've heard the hours you put in in google and the pay are pretty dire, im sure a swimming pool costs less to pay employees what they should be getting over set amount of years + it makes google look like good people.

Apple, now thats a company i wouldn't mind working for.

HazDanz

Hank Scorpio strikes again!

John Doe1

Pfft so what, at least i have a soul unlike those office drones

GLaDOS

Makes me sad I'll never work for them. Unless they move into biopharmaceuticals, which isn't that unlikely at this rate.

Bride2012

El Weirdo wrote: »

How is it a PR master stroke?

HR maybe.

PR in terms of looking for quality staff in a competitive market (that industry is still the workers favour at the mo in terms of jobs choice).

Also it got plenty of media attention and geting people taking about how great you are to your employees and mentioning your brand name is definately PR friendly even though as previously said, the cost of gimmicks is less than decent pay and conditions but yet the majority will think that it's a great place to work in and that they're a great company.

mackg

HavingCrack wrote: »

Quite a few ex-Google employees (including one I know personally) aren't actually that endeared with working there. Apparently the pay is pretty poor by industry standards and the working hours are very long and there seems be a lot of fairly crap managers hanging around the company. You can have all the gimicks you like but in the end it does seem that when it comes down to it pay, working hours and good management are the things employees value most.

Edit: I've never worked for Google and don't actually work in the industry so I'm just basing it on what I've been told, I may be incorrect.

human repellent wrote: »

I work in the industry, i've heard the hours you put in in google and the pay are pretty dire, im sure a swimming pool costs less to pay employees what they should be getting over set amount of years + it makes google look like good people.

Apple, now thats a company i wouldn't mind working for.

Completely valid points, but why take the job in the first place? Poor pay is poor pay whatever way you look at it and that would be the most important thing for me in choosing a job (assuming there is a choice). HavingCrack do they have a lot of employees pass through the company? ie. come in not like it and move on. When it comes to making the company look good to outsiders, does that really matter?

jimmycrackcorm

Big sign beside the pool: "Throw your iPhone in here, AppleCare with take care of it"