The office of the present
Talent Talk
'It's a company that really really cares for its employees…'
'What I love about working here is the energy of the people. People are so motivated and have so many ideas…'
'People come from all over the country to work here…'
These are just some of the comments offered by the staff of Google's new wunderoffice in Zurich. And it's not only insiders who have been raving about the place - industry professionals also have taken their hats off to the dynamic and liberating corporate culture achieved by the company.
So in a time when many of us in Asia are complaining about the talent crunch, employee disengagement and staff turnover - is there anything we can learn from the innovative design of their office and attitude towards their own people?
This Talk has collected a number of photographs from Google Zurich and we are delighted to present to you, dear reader, the office of the present…
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The meeting room…
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Preparing for a presentation
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The corporate ladder
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The project meeting
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Management silos
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The local cafe
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The office waiting room
Having a creative and refreshing workplace is not in itself the golden grail of employee engagement. However it goes a long way towards creating the kind of environment that boosts productivity, spurs innovation and encourages great communication and enhanced commitment.
Google itself invited the wrath of Wall Street analysts last year due to its rising costs (many relating to its staff) but it has clearly calculated these are not costs but an investment, and it would be interesting to compare their human capital figures with those of their competitors.
I would be very surprised if their human capital strategy isn't already paying dividends. But don't take my word for it, here is what the employees think…
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