You might think your office is pretty slick, with its ergonomic chairs and Keurig machine. But never forget how much better Google employees have it.
For example: Google Australia just installed its own monorail. Earlier this week, employees watched as a giant crane lifted two decommissioned cars from the defunct Sydney Monorail through a second-story window into their office (as shown in time-lapse video below).
This all happened because the building's management team noticed a strange request in the company's internal ticketing system, normally reserved for problems involving tech support or the air-conditioning.
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It turns out that engineer Paul Cowan, as a joke, asked for a monorail. And now, less than a year and $250,000 in installation costs later, the techies at Google Australia have two very cool new meeting rooms.
Of course, Google employees in Australia aren't the only ones who get to enjoy outlandish perks.
Programmers in New YorkCity get to ride their Razor scooters past faux subway grates to a faux Manhattan apartment — that is, when celebrity chefs like Mario Batali aren't serving food in the cafeteria.
The Londonoffice office has a rooftop terrace complete with community gardens. Inside, it features daybeds, crazy designer wallpaper, and, for some reason, airlocks. Yes, the Queen has made a visit.
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Of course the Los Angeles office has a permanent juice bar, as well as a lawn for watching outdoor movies, a pool table, and a rock-climbing wall.
Big surprise: Google's Dublin office features a replica of an Irish pub, plus massage chairs and wooden swings hanging from the ceiling.
Then there is the Googleplex, the company's headquarters in Mountain View, Calif., which is so big it offers free campus bikes that can be ridden to the organic garden, nap pods, putting green, and, for a brief period in 2012, an on-site monk.
And those are only a few of Google's 70 offices from around the world, each of which Google says has a distinctive design based on the cities they call home. Oh yeah, and Google employees get free breakfast, lunch, and dinner at their cafeterias, plus the knowledge that they work at a company worth around $290 billion.
"So next time I tell you (as I regularly do) that working at Google is like working at Wonka's Chocolate Factory," wrote Cowan on Google Plus, "remember, I once made a stupid joke about buying a monorail, and MY COMPANY DID IT FOR ME. I bet not many of you can say that."
Keith Wagstaff is a staff writer at TheWeek.com covering politics and current events. He has previously written for such publications as TIME, Details, VICE, and the Village Voice.
