Cool Places to Work

From free food to all-expenses paid vacations, many companies offer awesome work perks. And there are also organizations out there whose work is just plain cool enough that you’d like to be a part of it. Here are five companies that we think it would certainly be interesting to work for.

 

Working for the company behind the web search engine that pretty much everyone on the planet knows (and uses!) means being rewarded with a lot of great benefits. Employees (or “Googlers”) who work at the headquarters in Mountain View, California have access to 11 cafeterias where they’re served free gourmet meals. There’s also a workout room, on-site massage therapists, child care, and even a laundry room where they can use washers and dryers for free (don’t worry about bringing detergent—that’s provided too!). The company also gives its employees a partial reimbursement if they decide to buy a hybrid car. Aside from all the fun perks, which are too numerous to list, they get to work for an innovative company that’s on the cutting edge of technology.

L’Oréal
The Paris-based beauty and cosmetics conglomerate has its Canadian headquarters located in downtown Montréal, where employees enjoy amenities such as a specialty coffee bar, an employee lounge, and a cosmetics boutique where they can purchase company products at discounted prices. There’s also the opportunity to travel, as international training is offered in Paris and New York. Moms-to-be will also appreciate the amazing maternity top-up payments (to 100% for 17 weeks), as well as on-site daycare for new parents returning to work.

 

The company may have started in Montreal, but now has offices around the world including in Las Vegas, Tokyo and Amsterdam. Working for them would likely be particularly fun for creative minds who would no doubt enjoy being a part of an organization that puts on some of the most spectacular and visually-stunning shows ever seen. Employees at the international headquarters based in Montreal enjoy cool perks such as access to outdoor terraces, a fully-equipped gym, and two kitchens where chefs prepare gourmet meals from fresh produce harvested from the company’s on-site vegetable gardens.

 

Not only would you be able to call the pre-eminent and utterly influential Oprah Winfrey your boss, you would also get fun perks like working at a head office that has a day spa for its employees. For those who are celeb-obsessed, there’s the potential to have run-ins with famous celebrities such as John Travolta or Maya Angelou, both of whom Oprah considers to be close friends. And given her track record with being generous towards employees, you might even get to go on a family vacation entirely on Oprah’s expense. To date, the talk show host has taken her entire staff, and all their family members, on a trip to Hawaii and most recently, on a Mediterranean cruise.

The Canadian telecommunications giant is one company that certainly knows how to treat its employees well. Working for Rogers means employees are provided with comprehensive medical benefits that include vision care, dental coverage, a direct prescription drug billing card and more. They also have access their Employee Wealth Accumulation Program, which includes a company pension plan, shareholder options, and an RRSP plan, all of which are designed to help them build wealth for their future needs. And of course, there’s the added bonus of getting big discounts on products and services like wireless phones, cable/digital TV, internet, home phone, and more.