The best workplace luxuries anywhere

Pay cuts, furloughs, layoffs all around, and there you are, still in your cubicle, working longer hours than ever. Isn't there something they can do for you? Some companies, notably Google, have upped their workplace amenities, making the office into something a little like a mini city. We're talking nap pods, laundry rooms and massages.

Do such lavish perks make employees more productive? Opinions vary.

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Prof. Jeffrey Pfeffer, of Stanford University, studies workplaces extensively and says such added benefits are only useful where there's a positive corporate culture that values employees and rewards their work beyond just food and nap pods. "Those are nice things, and they may represent the corporate attitude, but if they're all you do, they're worthless," he says.

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