Google: A Utopian Workplace?

Google's got it good. And so do Googlers, the company's employees. Recently placed atop Fortune's 100 Best Companies to Work For 2007 list, Google offers its employees unparalleled amenities, benefits, freedom, and respect. What other company provides free washers and dryers -- and detergent -- for its employees to do laundry at work? Or a car wash? Or a barber shop? Or gourmet food? Or pool and ping pong tables? Headquartered on a campus in Mountain View, California, rife with employee perks and perky employees, Google's utopian domain celebrates creativity and enthusiasm. But more importantly, it celebrates and holds sacred its most precious commodity. No, not Gmail or Google Earth -- its employees.

It's no secret how successful Google is. And lately, it's been no secret how distinct its office culture is. Magazine articles portray the glossy, laid back, fun lifestyle of the Google worker. The kindergarten atmosphere. The toys. The perks. The super-casual attire. The only drawback -- to the average 9-to-5er, if there is such a person -- is the extended hours of the Googler. There is, after all, a reason why all these amenities are available on campus. It's because the Googler does not have enough time away from work to possibly take care of all these errands and chores. So is the average Google engineer working 60, 70, 80 hours a week? More? We don't know, but it doesn't seem to matter. The drive to create that next big thing and to be a part of something great keeps these folks at work, all hours of the day -- with breaks to play video games and do laundry, of course.

But we're left to wonder, can Google do anything wrong by its employees?

We eagerly await a tell-all expose or loosely based novel penned by a scorned Googler, a la The Devil Wears Prada. We doubt it'll ever happen, but if it does, the story is sure to spread quickly via Gmail, Blogger and YouTube. [Fortune]