Microsoft Employees Can Now Work In Treehouses (cnbc.com)

Microsoft's campus now features three outdoor treehouses for its employees. An anonymous reader quotes CNBC: More than 12 feet off the ground, the treehouses feature charred-wood walls, skylights, at least one gas fireplace, Wi-Fi and hidden electrical outlets. Employees can even grab a bite at an outdoor extension of the indoor cafeteria. The "more Hobbit than HQ" treehouses are designed by Pete Nelson of the TV show "Treehouse Masters" and are part of Microsoft's growing "outdoor districts..." The company touts the professional benefits of working in nature -- greater creativity, focus and happiness -- but honestly, the treehouses are just plain cool.
Microsoft touts a Harvard physician who believes nature "stimulates reward neurons in your brain. It turns off the stress response, which means you have lower cortisol levels, lower heart rate and blood pressure, and improved immune response." There's a short video on the "Working at Microsoft" channel on YouTube, but I'm curious what Slashdot readers think about working outdoors. Or, in a tree...

Comments

Can I both hate this and want to work in one?

[grasshoppa]

Part of me thinks this is gimmicky and stupid.

The rest of me wants to work in one, or look into converting my home office into a tree house, complete with a rope ladder and a secret password.

Re: Infantilization

[dgatwood]

You're talking about Cisco ain't ya? Just say it ;)

No, definitely not Cisco/SysCo. I'm fairly certain the GP was talking about NetGear and NetGeer, a company founded by a guy named Sir Thomas Geer to distribute low-cost hairnets to school cafeterias across the country.

[Quickly creates the Wikipedia entry... annnnnd done!]