Google have refurbished their London offices to improve the working environment for their staff and they’re on the right track.

Working environments are important to a productive and effective workplace, especially where creativity is required.  Most of us could benefit from a little fun and frivolity in our workplace, somewhere to chill-out during a busy working day.

Our brains can only concentrate for a certain period of time before our productivity starts to drop off and we all the know the feeling of trying desperately to remember where we left our keys, recall someone’s name or solve a tricky problem – the more you concentrate on it, the less likely you are to come up with a solution.  Go and do something completely different and the answer pops in to your mind.

Give your brain and body a chance to switch off, relax, step up or down to a different energy level and your more likely to come up with your best ideas, have those moments of insight and boost your productivity levels.  Think of those ‘Eureka’ moments you have in the shower or

So, no it’s not a waste of money and for a company like Google, it’s important to keep their programming staff at their most creative, innovative and productive peak.

You might not be able to introduce exotic cappuccino machines, provide a music and games room and even build an in-door park for your employees but understand the importance of breaks and that we all need quiet times, changes in environment, avoid distractions and different levels of energy to be our most productive best.

How you do you maintain your own productivity in your working environment.