Step inside Google Zurich: when it comes to Zurich's most playful workplace, Google's Engineering Hub may well top the list as the zaniest office in town. We've taken a look inside and met with Andreas Schonenberger, manager of Google Switzerland.
| Auteur | Heddema, Renske |
| Fonction | BUSINESS - Cover story - Company overview |
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Located in the vibrant area of the former Hurlimann Brewery, where trendy shops, restaurants and businesses form a colourful mix, the Google offices are the pinnacle of innovative design. The reception with its red, purple and blue balloon chairs looks like a child's paradise.
In the blue zone, there is a lounge with aquariums to aid relaxation, and retired mountain gondolas have been brought in to serve as intimate meeting rooms. The mock antique library with its painted-on books and fireplace serves as a cafeteria.
Velvet burgundy curtains frame the view of the Hurlimann Castle perched on a nearby hill. The heavy crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling moves slightly as we sit down. This definitely feels like Google Middle Europe.
So, is this work or play?
For Swiss-born Andreas Schonenberger, 42, the country manager of Google Switzerland, the question is an obsolete one. The boundaries between business and leisure have melted, he says.
Google believes the best ideas are created while playing, and work does not stop at the front door. As if to illustrate the corporate credo, we see two employees in cycling gear at Google's entrance who are still fully immersed in today's latest challenges. Helmets on, one foot on the pedal, they do not seem to notice it is way past office hours.
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Most of the over 400 Zooglers--as the Zurich Google employees are fondly referred to--work in development-related functions. Aside from engineering, employees also concentrate on developing Google Switzerland's business. At the helm since November 2006, Schonenberger has a tough market in which to operate, as only a mere two per cent of business in Switzerland is done via the Internet.
Renske Heddema, Swiss News: How important is the Swiss market for Google?
Andreas Schonenberger: The Swiss market is of vital importance, because it still has a long way to go. Whereas online business in Germany amounts to ten per cent and that of the UK to 16 per cent, the Swiss number of online sales does not exceed two per cent. The rethinking from offline into online marketing has only just started in the Swiss advertising world.
By contrast, considering that 53 per cent of Swiss consumers enjoy broadband access at home--with 'normal' domestic Internet access being 68 per cent--there is an enormous gap between offer and demand. Swiss Internet consumption is amongst the highest worldwide. Companies haven't figured out how to...
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