Fortune magazine recently released its 2012 100 Best Companies to Work For list and Google came out on top. Fortune cited several reasons for choosing Google as the best of the best this year, including free food at one of the company’s 25 cafes, bocce courts, a bowling alley and more.

 

But are these tangible perks the only things that make Google a great place to work? Mike Swift looks deeper into this question in an article for MercuryNews.com, The opposite of evil: Google named best place to work in America.

 

“From the company's earliest days, the co-founders — who are said by some of the company's first employees to share an acute sense of smell and sensitivity to toxins — have had an intense focus on air quality, as one way to create a work environment second to none. The company says its air quality rivals a hospital rather than an office building, and it has long scrutinized all building materials — including, literally, a sniff test — to make sure they are free of chemicals with any health impact.” Source: MercuryNews.com

 

Studies have shown that focusing on indoor air quality can not only keep employees healthy but it also boost productivity. At a cutting edge company like Google, happy, healthy and productive employees are a must; an integral part of the company’s success.

 

Sure, the free food and onsite recreational activities are nice. So are top-notch benefits like comprehensive health care and profit sharing. But are the less obvious benefits, like indoor air quality, what sets Google apart from its competitors?

 

What do you think makes a company a great place to work?