At Google's offices, there are now software problems in the bathroom stalls.
Albeit famous for creating a friendly work environment for their employees, Google doesn't give them a moment to relax.
The company, heavily leaning upon the creativity of its workers, doesn't like it when their brains stop solving software problems. By sticking software codes and problems to the walls in all 500 bathroom stalls in their global offices, the company hopes the toilet users will continue to stimulate their brains during their most intimate moments of the day.
The project is called "Testing on the Toilet" and the comments from employees ranges from, "This is great because I'm always forgetting to bring my copy of Linux Nerd 2000 to the bathroom!" to "I'm trying to use the bathroom, can you folks please just LEAVE ME ALONE?"
The initiative is from a small band of volunteers, the "Google Testing Grouplet", passionate about software testing. They write flyers about everything from dependency injection to code coverage, and plaster regularly the bathrooms with each episode.
Software Problems in Bathroom Stalls
Google's Testing on the Toilet
Trend Themes
1. Workplace Distraction Innovation - Innovative companies can explore ways of introducing distractions that foster productivity in the workplace such as the 'Testing on the Toilet' initiative for software testing.
2. Creative Learning Innovation - Companies can adopt innovative ways of fostering learning such as Google's use of unconventional locations like bathroom stalls for problem-solving and idea-generation.
3. Non-traditional Learning Innovation - The success of Google's 'Testing on the Toilet' initiative indicates that non-traditional locations for learning and problem-solving like bathroom stalls can be leveraged by innovative companies.
Industry Implications
1. Technology - Technology companies can leverage innovative learning and problem-solving techniques such as Google's 'Testing on the Toilet' initiative in their offices and work environments.
2. Education - The non-traditional learning approach used by Google in their 'Testing on the Toilet' initiative can inspire innovative and unconventional learning strategies in the education sector.
3. Corporate Culture - Companies looking to foster a unique, innovative and employee-friendly corporate culture can draw inspiration from Google's 'Testing on the Toilet', and use it as a model for creating a more productive and creative workplace environment.