We must confess that, from time to time, many of us drift into daydreams and wonder what it must be like to work for Ferrari. But surely the reality can't be all that good, right? No, no ... it is. This according to the Great Place to Work Institute, which named the company Best Place to Work in Europe for 2007.

The decoration comes as the result of a corporate initiative called "Formula Uomo," which sought to better the working conditions and lives of the company's considerable workforce. As part of the initiative, over the past decade Ferrari has spent considerable sums of money on new facilities, employee training and family benefits. Just the revitalization of the facilities in and around the factory -- the building of Maranello Village serves as just one example -- has totaled some ?200 million. Employee perks also include staff education, extensive medical coverage and company events.

Ferrari can add this to the Best Place to Work in Italy award which it received in 2003, along with all the race trophies and road-car accolades that the company has won over its 60-year history.

And here we thought, after watching Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, that those Oompa-Loompas had it pretty sweet. If anyone from Maranello is reading this, would you happen to be in need of any bloggers?

Press release after the jump.

Related posts:

• All Access: the Ferrari Passport
• At Maranello Village, the Prancing Horse follows you home
• Special for Ferrari: Alcoa opens new aluminum plant in Modena
• Ferrari Classiche Division opens HQ in Maranello

[Source: Ferrari]

What's working for Ferrari in the U.S. like? Check out our gallery below of the Ferrari Store in Beverly Hills.

Gallery: Ferrari Store opens in Beverly Hills

Continue reading Paradise: Ferrari named Best Place to Work

Paradise: Ferrari named Best Place to Work originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 03 May 2007 12:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Here at Autoblog we've been inundated with comments and news updates from well-wishers praying for Richard Hammond's full and speedy recovery following his shocking 300-mph crash this past Wednesday. And so we're pleased to report that the Hamster's condition is improving dramatically.

According to Hammond's Top Gear co-star Jeremy Clarkson, little more than a day after the crash, Richard spontaneously sat up in his hospital bed, asked what happened, joked around a bit, then got out of bed and walked to the washroom.

Of course these may seem like fairly ordinary functions, but not when you consider that Hammond was subjected to as much as 100g's of force as his jet-powered car rolled and left him unconscious and buried head-first in the dirt, initially classified in critical condition.

The crash was apparently caused by a burst tire. Follow the link to Clarkson's article in The Sun for a riveting account of the day of the crash, the events that lead to it, Hammond's miraculous progress on the road to full recovery, and the battle that lay ahead to keep Top Gear on the air.

Related posts:

• Giving in the name of Richard Hammond
• Top Gear's "Hamster" in stable but serious condition day after crash
• UPDATE: Details on Richard Hammond crash
• Top Gear's Richard Hammond in critical condition

Hammond Update: "Was I driving like a tw*t?" originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 25 Sep 2006 09:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The news comes on the heels of another terrible crash involving fellow automotive journalist Paul Frère.

No further news is known at this time regarding the extent or nature of the beloved 36-year-old television personality's injuries or what exactly went wrong.

We'd like to express our appreciation to all our readers who sent us the sad news.

We're all pulling for you, Hamster.

[Source: BBC News]

Top Gear's Richard Hammond in critical condition originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 20 Sep 2006 16:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.