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Google sure has some long-ass food breaks


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FRUGAL GOOGLE CUTS PERKS

BOSSES DISHING OUT SNACKS CRACKDOWN

By BRIAN GARRITY

Posted: 3:56 am

October 30, 2008

Google is going on a diet when it comes to spending on a smorgasbord of food perks for employees living high on the hog in its New York office.

The online search giant issued a memo to its Big Apple workforce earlier this week noting slimmed-down cafeteria hours and food selection as part of an effort "to find areas where efficiency can be improved."

The move, first reported by the tech blog ValleyWag, comes as Google has seen its stock sink more than 48 percent, or $333.48 per share this year.

The advertising business is expected to be hit hard by the ongoing credit crunch and Google CEO Eric Schmidt said earlier this month that the company would be operating more carefully as ad budgets come under pressure.

The belt tightening also takes some of the shine off the company's reputation for perks that have been the envy of media and tech employees across the city.

Gone are exotic treats like afternoon tea on Tuesdays, which has been suspended indefinitely. However, the company said there still may be "occasional surprise 'snack attacks' in the future" - similar to what employees get in Google's Mountain View, Calif. offices.

The company also is creating new rules for feeding guests and discouraging employees from taking meals to go.

"Please note that dinner is provided for those working late in the office and is not intended to be taken home," the memo said.

Meanwhile, the variety of snacks New York staffers can munch on in office "micro-kitchens" - areas designed to make it easy for workers to grab food while working long and/or odd hours - is getting slashed. Employees will soon be getting a questionnaire asking them to vote on their favorite snacks.

Additionally, Google is shaving a half-hour off the dining hours for breakfast, which has been scaled back from 90 minutes to an hour, as well as lunch and dinner which have been trimmed from 2 hours to 90 minutes.

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