If you work for Google, then you are among the lucky thousands who have experienced what’s been lauded as the best working environment on the entire planet.  For one thing, Google pays its employees well, but money is not the only thing that makes a job worth having.  In fact, most of the laid back, healthy, and happy Google employees, when asked what makes Google such great company to work for, will cite the many corporate perks before any mention of monetary compensation.  Keeping valuable and creative employees satisfied involves a kind of currency trading that goes miles beyond the cold, hard dollar, and Google is a master of trade when it comes to the currency of perks.

Here it is, straight from Google:

“Though Google has grown a lot since it opened in 1998, we still maintain a small company feel.

At lunchtime, almost everyone eats in the office café, sitting at whatever table has an opening and enjoying conversations with Googlers from different teams. Our commitment to innovation depends on everyone being comfortable sharing ideas and opinions. Every employee is a hands-on contributor, and everyone wears several hats. Because we believe that each Googler is an equally important part of our success, no one hesitates to pose questions directly to Larry or Sergey in our weekly all-hands (“TGIF”) meetings – or spike a volleyball across the net at a corporate officer.

We are aggressively inclusive in our hiring, and we favor ability over experience. We have offices around the world and dozens of languages are spoken by Google staffers, from Turkish to Telugu. The result is a team that reflects the global audience Google serves. When not at work, Googlers pursue interests from cross-country cycling to wine tasting, from flying to frisbee.”

And just in case there was any wonder at all, here is a video featuring a day on the job at the original Googleplex.