LinkedIn’s new Bangalore Office is massive and beyond amazing

The entrance is akin to its offices in India, bearing the LinkedIn logo.

Behind the reception is a huge open sitting space with a live coffee/juice counter, overlooking the neighbourhood. The space is wide, inviting, and makes you feel relaxed just as you enter the office space, without intimidating you. You can even chill with a cup of your favourite variety of coffee, while waiting for your meeting.

The office was inaugurated two days ago by the company’s India Head, Akshay Kothari, who recently returned to India from the Silicon Valley, where he was working as LinkedIn’s Global Product Head. A Stanford Graduate, he is also credited with having built Pulse, a newsreader App that became one of the best Apps in the world in 2010, getting even a coveted mention by Steve Jobs the same year. Pulse was later bought over by LinkedIn.

The entire office space is divided into colour zones and themes like yellow, red, purple and green, each having multiple meeting rooms and custom built work stations. Each work station has the unique ability of extending to become a partial cubicle, and these can also be adjusted for height, in case someone decided to stand and work, or just work from an elevated post. The desks have 3 buttons, which you can set to your desired settings, so you can achieve comfort, literally with the push of a button.

Each work zone has interesting activity areas built around it, to allow employees to take their mind-off work from time-to-time. For instance, the wall in the background here is made of pins that can be changed at anytime to create any design one wants to. It’s an interactive works space. There are many such spaces, including one that has a wall full of 24,000 pencils that anyone can pull out to make notes on the opposite wall that is covered with post-its!

The entire office is divided into zones, including this one, which resonates with the company’s ethos and work culture. Meeting Rooms within these zones are aptly named based on these themes as well. Each work zone also has multiple enclosed phone booths that can be used as single-seating rooms to have private or confidential phone calls

This is perhaps the most unique feature of the entire space. There are a total of 8 massive, widespread, well-lit, open collaboration rooms, with unique furniture marking each of them. One’s been built like a garage, while one’s been made to look like you’re sitting in your private patio. The whole idea is to have open spaces for people to come together and discuss ideas that can then be turned into true products. These spaces have been built to ensure people think in comfort and come up with the best options surrounded by calming elements.

Each collaboration space is marked with its marked with its own unique furniture that has been custom designed. These chairs have been custom built to ensure privacy and a sense of complete concentration even in an open space.

This collaboration space is against a wall covered with the LinkedIn work ethos- Startup mentality, Take risks, Ideas, Get shit done, Make every detail count, Dream with your eyes open, Try to be original, but most importantly try to be good.

Furniture for the entire office has been custom-built in and flown in from the US, china and some made to detail in India. The whole idea was to be true to the LinkedIn’s work culture without having to compromise on any aspect.

The office is dotted with uniquely designed, open presentation areas with the best technology ever. This one for instance has pods that once connected to your laptops can switch between various presentations on different devices with just a tap. There is one presentation area that is designed to look like a classroom for the more serious training modules, made fun, nonetheless with chairs, tables and blackboard just like they have in schools in India. What a walk down the memory lane, we say!

It’s a food lover’s paradise! Like literally! The kitchen, adjoining the cafeteria is divided into zones- global, Indian and live-food counters. World class food, prepared by in-house chefs is made for employees round the clock, free of cost. The Indian section makes everything Indian, including fresh dosas, idlis, uttapams and chillas. The global section churns out delicacies of the world one-day at a time. So since the opening, employees have already been treated to Mexican and Continental fare! I wonder what’s next. The live food counter prepares and serves hot waffles, pizzas and pastas to your choice round the clock! Did we say paradise?

The cafeteria, spread across an area that could house an entire small office is again dotted with interesting furniture. Here you see large screens that keep throwing some very interesting trivia about how employees world around think, work and play. Trivia, which can be very handy when working on special projects, designing new products. Bangalore, after all is LinkedIn’s largest R&D centre outside the US. Products created here are implemented on LinkedIn globally.

You can also choose to eat your food in peace, catching up on your favourite show on TV. Or just relax with your office friends over some yummilicious food. Waffles anyone?! Oh don’t worry, if you’ve eaten too much and feeling drowsy, you can sleep it off in the Sleeping Room, equipped with 3-tier bunker beds, separated by curtains, complete with comfortable pillows and blankets

If you’ve overeaten, fret not, there’s a state of the art gym available here that allows you to train just the way you want to.

The gym is equipped with all kinds of training equipments, including cross trainers, treadmills and dumbbells. There are trainers round the clock to advice and help employees with their training.

Food done, massage done, work done, head to play! With a board that says- Work Hard, Play Harder, it’s not without reason that every table game on this planet is available for LinkedIn’s employees here. Foozeball, snooker, table tennis and it goes on.

Employees often are found here unwinding and enjoying some crucial team building exercise. Now, everything in LinkedIn is with a purpose, even play has its own purpose!

If you’re not the gymming kind, head to the yoga room, where you can practice the form with the help of a trainer from a certified fitness company in the city. Also once done with all the exercising, head to the shower-cum-locker room for a shower. Linen and bath products are available on the house. After a hot shower just dump the towel in the bin and the company takes care of it.

So, if you’ve had enough of the day and are completely overworked, how about some massage, before heading out for home! No, really, this place has massage chairs you can hop onto for a really soothing experience. Tired, are we?