OK, so we haven't quite got Google's baker. Or the butcher. And it doesn't quite scan right. But we do have an exclusive interview with a Google chef among other Googlers in jobs you wouldn't necessarily associate with Google's usual mission to bag up the world's information.
We've interviewed people working for Google in London and Bangalore as well as spoken to the chap responsible for Googlifing the search giant's European offices; you'll even find out what part of the office is made from faux leather leiderhosen! And then there's the chap who founded meditation classes at the company. It's all in a day's work for these people…
Adrian Evans – top chef
"It's a really diverse role and that's what attracted me to join the party at Google really. We have a lot to do with sustainability and the environment. Day to day we've got to keep the Googlers happy, producing a diverse and varied menu for them – breakfast, lunch and dinner. We also have a [special lunch] on a Friday, which is a little bit of a celebration and get together, and introduction for new Googlers.
"We're looking at providing a really nutritious, healthy diet to encourage the Googlers to live that sort of lifestyle. We run the café, we've got the deli and we've six micro-kitchens with grab-and-go food. We're looking at where we're sourcing the produce from, making sure we're only providing free range eggs and poultry, local farmers, supporting the local community. We don't add salt or sugar at all. Everything is cooked with fresh produce.
"We have a wide variety of dishes to cater for the people that work at Google from around the globe. Before I worked for Google I worked in fine dining restaurants and hotels. In all honesty, there aren't many kitchens around London – even in five star hotels – that get to work with the type of produce that I do every day. It's so diverse. Different from where I've worked before? Massively."
Ben Kott – the green guy
"I've been at Google almost three years now and I moved into this role at the beginning of the year. The role is called Green Business Operations. I'm looking at everything in our European operation apart from data centres; they're working over in Mountain View to make our data centres more efficient.
"So I look after office buildings, recycling and waste management and also how employees can get involved. It's quite a varied role and I'm full time on this (100 per cent green!). We have green officers in each office. I'm looking after London and coordinating things across Europe. I'm in a lucky position as I'm very passionate about these things."
Omid Ashtari – the meditator
"I started four years ago in Dublin in our sales team there and worked for two years. And then about one and a half years ago I came to London. My day job role is strategic partnership development manager – quite a mouthful. I license content for Google, so that product managers can use that content to make our products better. So, for example, some of the satellite imagery in Google Maps.
"Although we're a large company now, we strive to keep the startup spirit, so if people see something they like, we can bring it up. I saw this article about meditation in The Financial Times from [London meditation and self development centre] Inner Space about meditation at work.
"If thought it was a good idea, spoke to them and talked to HR. They really liked the idea. We got them to come over and started these sessions. People really got involved and it's a popular thing to go to in the lunch break. It starts with a meditation facilitator giving you a guide to meditation. When you get used to it and embrace it, it has a lot of benefits."
