Google Chicago office tour

I got to tour the Google Chicago offices last week as part of a Loop networking event last week. It was fun to see how an innovative company designs their office to really improve their employees work lives. A new Google employee, Nicole, gave us the tour. Fun fact, she also writes Next Date Chicago. You know I love fellow bloggers :)

Each floor of the Google offices has a different theme. One is sports and fitness (my favorite) and another is Chicago neighborhoods. The office is very visually pleasing which I'm sure helps with creativity. The office space is also open but contains nooks for people to hold meetings or work/think quietly. There is even a fitness studio with classes and free weights and an indoor loop hallway/track that people can walk/run.

My absolute favorite part of the Google offices is that they serve free lunch and snacks that are healthy and tasty. I had the nacho bar with a side salad and vegan chili. All the ingredients in everything are clearly labeled. The majority of the food is healthy but there are some more savory options, as well, so people don't feel deprived. In the snack room, they actually set out the apples and healthy snacks on the counter but hide the candy bars in the cabinet. So, you're more likely to choose the healthier option that you can see.

Google really gets it. Free lunch that is nutritious but satisfying makes happy employees and happy employees are better and more productive employees. By providing lunch, employees are much less likely to go out and eat unhealthy fast food. They are thus more productive in the afternoon because they are not spending energy digesting bad foods. In addition, healthy employees aren't costing the company unnecessary medical insurance money. Seriously, if more companies used the Google model of simply providing healthy lunch and encouraging their employees to be active, they could make more money with productive employees and save more money with healthy employees.

How does your workplace cater to employees' health and wellness?

Today is the last day to enter my NTC Chicago GIVEAWAY!