I Want to Play -- Er, Work -- at Google

Fortune Magazine's annual list of the best companies to work at was topped by Google and the difference between this generous company and others (even those on the list) is huge The following is a short list of some of the great things about life (and work) at the search engine giant:

* free gourmet meals from several different restaurants

* the ability to do your laundry, at no cost

* a place to drop off your dry cleaning

* one can get an oil change and get a massage all onsite

* one can enjoy a huge game room

* work is such a comfortable place that it is sometimes difficult to get Google employees to leave the office

This last item is a plus for the company and the "payoff" to Google for its generosity. The company has employees who don't have to be told to work over time, they are glad to do it in order to meet the company's objectives. Not only are employees pleased to work there, thousands are eager to get hired (with 1,300 applications coming in daily to chase down about that number of jobs available each year). People are well aware of the fact they have a really good thing.

I think Google is a great place a work and an excellent example to businesses around the world. They choose to do it, not merely for altruism, but to make it one of the most competitive companies in the world.