Meeting 'pods' in the style of Swiss chalets and igloos, fireman poles to allow easy access between floors and a slide to ensure that people can get to the cafeteria as quickly as possible are all part of a design of its new European engineering headquarters in Zurich Switzerland.

The wacky office is both a showcase for Google's unconventional approach to business and a symbol to prove that Google is no longer a US-centric firm.

The questions about Google's role as the provider of the world's information are likely to get louder but few doubt that it is setting new standards in how to get the best out of employees.

And Google assured the more cynical members of the press that the slide is used every day.