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Google: Take Two
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Google has done it again. For the second year in a row Google, a 9 year old global technology service provider based in Mountain View, California, is the number one Best Company to Work For in America. According to their employees, this company has created a culture that is high on trust, low on politics, great at sharing resources and sharing the wealth, and full of meaning and significance. While the perks and benefits available to Googlers are now well known around the world (more on those below) there is a deeper and more thoughtful set of factors that are emerging from Google employees' comments on why it is such a great place to work. As one employee wrote:
“I have been in the high tech industry for 15 years and have worked at 8 different companies, large and small. Google is by far the most dynamic and meaningful company I've worked at. The company founders are candid and accessible. Management processes are transparent. Promotions are determined by peer reviews. Engineering decisions are made by engineers. This is a company that is trying to make a difference in the world in all ways, including fixing global warming (giving $5K rebates to employees if you buy a hybrid car, lining the rooftops with solar panels, giving employees bikes to ride around campus). The "don't be evil" mantra is more than skin deep; it is the core of the culture”
Google still serves free gourmet foods at all hours (eleven cafeterias in Mountain View, one in Kirkland and one in New York), provides transportation support to get to and from work, childcare and eldercare resources, on-site medical staff, exercise facilities, Google toys, interesting guest speakers and entertainers, and more.
Yet the more valuable message for everyone to take from Google comes from the culture that the company has created – a culture in which managers are seen as credible, employees are treated with respect and workplace policies and practices are implemented fairly. This culture has engendered a high level of cooperation among employees and across departments, and an intense commitment from employees to the company and its mission. Google employees are proud of their work, and greatly enjoy the camaraderie of the workplace.
Getting Started
Google Quick Facts |
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Recruiting at Google is a serious undertaking, with over 1300 resumes a day coming in to their personnel offices. Hiring the right people is one of the keys to Google’s success. When the right people are brought onboard – with the skills, interest and fit with Google’s culture – fewer of them leave. This means lower turnover and recruitment costs and greater knowledge retention in-house. 85% of Google employees who responded to the random survey we use as part of the Best Companies selection process indicated that they want to work for Google for a long time, a remarkable proportion considering the young median age of their workforce.
Once you’re in, what’s next?
Google employees are offered tremendous opportunities to learn and grow. Professional development opportunities offered to all employees include classes on individual and team presentation skills, content development, business writing, executive speaking, delivering feedback, and management/leadership. Free foreign language lessons, including French, Spanish, Japanese, and Mandarin are also sponsored by Google. Given the prominence of engineers at Google, particular attention is paid to providing unique development opportunities for this group.
An Engineering training group, engEDU, provides orientation and training classes, mentoring, career development, and tutorial services – all programs built by and for engineers. Google has also expanded its global learning and development team during the last year and is creating new leadership development programs to help develop and support Google’s future leaders. An astounding 92% of employees responding to our survey indicated that they are provided training or development to further themselves professionally, and 97% indicate that they are given the resources and equipment to do their job.
Innovation and Creativity
There is also a strong culture of innovation and experimentation at Google with engineers encouraged to take 20% of their time to develop new product or service offerings, or to provide enhancements to current offerings. Some of the results of this “20% time” can be seen in the beta offerings provided to the public at the Google Labs website (labs.google.com) which showcases experiments still being evaluated and the ‘graduates’ – products and services developed inside Google that are now part of their current offerings.
"It's an incredibly open and progressive environment. Individuals are provided with the opportunity to grow in a nurturing environment, to contribute both as an individual and as a part of a [very] large team - despite the growth and size of the company, you still feel as though you matter and people actually care about you. I think about the work I do and the contributions I make and feel good about it."
Google Perks & Benefits |
Unlimited sick leave 27 days of paid time off after one year of employment The 2007 “Candidates@Google” series hosted 2008 Presidential Candidate speakers, including Senator John McCain, Senator Hilary Clinton, and New York mayor Michael Bloomberg. On-site perks at headquarters include medical and dental facilities, oil change and car wash, courier, fitness center, banking center, and free breakfast, lunch and dinner on a daily basis Revamped maternity leave policy gives new mothers who have been Google employees for at least 1 year, 6 additional weeks of paid time off (a total of 18 weeks) to bond with her newborn. New fathers may take up to 7 weeks of paid time off during the baby’s first year. Annual on-site Health Fair offers various free testing services, including eye exams and cholesterol testing; also offers free flu shots. Fuel Efficiency Vehicle Incentive Program encourages employees to purchase hybrid cars by providing a $5,000 financial incentive. |
These success stories help to make explicit an aspect of the Google culture that is common to many software development firms yet is handled in a unique way at Google. Innovation from inside the firm is the norm for most engineering based software development companies. What is unique at Google is the support provided by the company, the collaboration among engineers working on each others’ projects, and the final set of results that Google is able to achieve with the creativity and expertise of its engineers.
Google hosts many external events throughout the year which reflect a combination of their excellent recruiting practices and their awareness of the internal culture they want to maintain. They are explicitly seeking to attract the kinds of people to the company who will be successful in their open, collaborative culture.
“These events allow non-Googlers to share in the ‘creative thinking, innovating, learning and fun’ that is part of the Google work experience. We’ve designed these events to attract people who share our love for problem solving and fast thinking. The events are an opportunity for us to meet and get to know potential Googlers. Equally importantly, they also give attendees a better idea of what the Google culture is all about and generate interest in Google among those individuals who are instinctively drawn to events and activities that are both a reflection and manifestation of our culture.”
Social Good
One other element of Google that stands out as distinctive is their explicit commitment to works promoting broad scale social benefits. While they have been critiqued at times for their informal corporate motto “Don’t be Evil”, they have continued to hold on to this phrase as an example of their aspiration to live up to the highest standards of ethical business conduct. Employees are clear that the commitment to be ethical is part and parcel of being a leader at Google. 99% of the employees responding to our Trust Index survey indicated that, “Management is honest and ethical in its business practices”. This is an inspiring response given the ethical scandals that have rocked the business world over the past few years.
The standards of conduct that Googlers adhere to concern internal business practices (respecting each other, protecting confidentiality, protecting Google‘s assets, etc), external relations with customers and partners, and the impact on of Google's work on the larger society. This last standard was a motivating factor behind the Google Solar Panel Project – the largest solar panel installation on a corporate campus in the United States. On Google’s website the number of kilowatt hours of power generated in the previous 24 hours is posted, along with an indication of its equivalent in the use of common household appliances.
The depth of the culture that has been created at Google is impressive. It’s not perfect - there is no perfect company – yet it is clearly their culture that has supported the creation of a great place to work. Ninety-eight percent of employees who responded to our survey said that, “Taking everything into account, I would say this is a great place to work”.
Google is #1 on this year’s list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For. Again. Congratulations.
Best People Practice© Examples
Creating a great workplace requires more than a specific set of programs and practices - there is no one set of perks and benefits that works for all. Best Companies develop their own unique cultures in their own ways, with the common feature being that employees are able to say "I trust the people I work for, have pride in what I do, and enjoy the people I work with."
The following practices reflect a small selection of the programs and practices that Google uses to build its own strong workplace culture. These programs and the specific ways in which they support and build the Google culture are what make them work for this company. Google seeks out brainy, creative, entrepreneurial people to join its ranks and provides strong support for their professional growth and development - all of which is consistent with its emphasis on the importance of respecting people. Googlers also have many opportunities to have fun during their work-day - helping them to relieve stress, build camaraderie and fuel creative thinking.
The following examples of Google's Best Practices may inspire you to pursue some creative activities within your own organization.
Best Practices that Build Credibility
- Over the past year, Google has instituted quarterly company-wide strategy sessions with senior execs and separate sessions to assess the company’s performance during the previous quarter. These gatherings are intended both to celebrate the organization’s achievements over the course of the quarter and to introduce objectives for the new quarter. In the spirit of TGIF, Google’s informal weekly get together, they always provide opportunities at these sessions for employees to ask questions of senior leadership about the company’s strategic direction and performance. Functional teams supplement this all-hands session with their own department-specific meetings led by senior members. For example, the Engineering Team holds a quarterly “All-Hands” Meeting led by the Senior Vice President of Engineering. As with TGIFs and the quarterly performance meetings, the Engineering All-Hands speaks to Google’s core philosophy that employees prefer to hear company news in person, and directly from their leaders, rather than from an anonymous “cascaded” email chain.
- Google realizes that not everyone feels comfortable speaking up in a public forum. That’s why they conduct a series of regular surveys to solicit input directly from employees on a range of topics. The annual Job Satisfaction Survey, the Engineering Team survey, the Sales Team Survey and numerous others gather data from Googlers anonymously. They then draw on those findings to improve and shape their various programs. They publish the high-level results for all Googlers to read on their internal website, and managers are expected to discuss results with their teams.
- Google has created an in-house blogging tool that allows employees to start their own blogs. Googlers can use these blogs to communicate personal stories, to provide updates on work projects, or to share notes. These blogs can only be accessed internally, and these online forums are yet another way that Google encourages cross-functional interaction across all levels of the organization. Finally, over the last year they added modules to our internal website MOMA designed to solicit Googler feedback with online polls and with key contacts in management for various programs and issues.
- TGIFs are an informal company-wide weekly get together which include a preview of the week to come, a recap of the week’s big events, and a question and answer session. While every week is a little different, the highlight of TGIF is always the Question and Answer section; no question is off-limits. Throughout 2007, Google has continued to expand the TGIF tradition along with their scale. Their team webcasts TGIFs to Google offices around the globe and archives them for those whose time zones or schedules prevent them from attending the meeting in person. Some of Google field offices have taken to hosting their own TGIFs, with senior leaders from Mountain View joining when possible either in person or via videoconference. They encourage all Google employees, regardless of location, to submit questions for TGIF through email if they can’t (or opt not to) ask the question in person. Other Googlers vote on these questions so that the most relevant work their way to the top of the queue.
- In addition to more formal venues, Google’s philosophy is reflected in their “whiteboard” culture. Googlers start or add to whiteboard discussions on topics ranging from future Google products to life at Google. You’ll find these oversize whiteboards all over Google. In addition to the whiteboards, Googlers can find suggestion boxes throughout the office, where they’re free to enter any sort of suggestion from a new drink they would like available to their dismay over the continued use of disposable dishes.
Best Practices that Build Respect
- Employees company-wide drive Google’s product development process. More often than not, they first release new products and features internally across the company, allowing Googlers to explore the product and provide feedback to the engineers and managers who developed it. They recognize that Googlers are demanding users, and that by collaborating with them, they can help ensure they launch products that serve both their mission and their users. In addition, they recently created a new program called the “Google-o-meter” which allows people to post ideas for changes and improvements at the company. Employees can then vote on whether the idea is good or bad which will move the suggestion up the page.
- Google recognizes that the first few months of a child’s life are precious. This year, they made their maternity leave policy even more competitive. Effective July 1, 2007, they provide moms who’ve been with Google for over 1 year with an additional 6 weeks of paid bonding leave to spend with their newborn—on top of the regular 12 week allowance. Dads are encouraged to spend 7 weeks of paid bonding leave with their newborn during his/her first year. To support employees while they bond with their newborns, Google provides all US employees with 100% of their normal take-home pay during maternity/paternity leave.
- Google wants employees to maintain the best possible work/life balance, so they offer flexible work hours, part-time work options, and telecommuting if the specific job allows. A generous vacation policy is provided and a vacation donation program is also used to provide an opportunity for Googlers to help out their fellow co-workers during a time of need. The program allows employees to voluntarily donate a portion of their accrued vacation hours to another eligible employee in case of an emergency.
- While they maintain more specialized learning programs in virtually every department, the Engineering group has taken the idea of continuous learning to new heights. The Engineering training group, or engEDU, aims to provide Google Engineers with compelling educational opportunities throughout their lives at Google, including everything from orientation classes to mentoring to career development. A great example is the Codelab tutorial series, which are continually updated online modules designed to help engineers get up to speed on new Google technologies. They have broadened and deepened their focus on learning throughout the last year. They expanded their learning and development management team worldwide. Moreover, they hired a new director who’ll be working to create “Google University,” a centralized learning organization designed to coordinate the numerous offerings, ensure quality, and, over the next couple of years, expand the range of educational programs offered.
- In 2007, Google kicked off their “Candidates@Google” speaker series, inviting 2008 Presidential candidates to stop by headquarters to speak with their employees. So far, they’ve hosted Senator John McCain, New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, Senator Hilary Clinton, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, and Congressman Ron Paul. In addition to these political luminaries, Google hosts regular Tech Talks where speakers both internal and external present their insights on timely topics. Google's engineering tech talk program is a vital part of their engineering knowledge transfer efforts. The program features world-class engineers from both within and outside the company, who share their ideas, best practices, and technical acumen across a wide range of topics. Googler volunteers organize several talks a week at most engineering offices, and engineers at other sites can attend these internal talks remotely via videoconference connections. They’ve made a large number of these talks available to the entire world via Google Video and YouTube, their outward-facing video resources. The tech talk program typifies Google’s culture, which encourages engineers to air their ideas in an arena composed of highly technical colleagues, who challenge each other to push the boundaries of their thinking.
Best Practices that Build Fairness
- In Q2 2007, Google announced a new equity program for Googlers called Transferable Stock Options (TSOs) – a first-of-its-kind program designed to help Googlers derive value from their options by selling instead of exercising them. Through this program, they've devised an innovative way for Googlers to capture both the "in the money" value of their options, and also their "time value.” “The goal is quite simple,” says David Rolefson, Google’s Director of Compensation Programs. “It is to increase the perceived value of the option to the employee.” Essentially, the TSO program accomplishes two things:
- Makes explicit the time value of the option
- Gives employees with vested options more opportunity to monetize their options - Google strives to create a work environment that attracts and retains the best talent and enables each individual to contribute to his or her full potential. They leverage this unique work environment by tailoring their recruiting programs to better attract women and historically underrepresented minorities. For example, they fund Employee Network Groups (ENG’s)—employee-initiated groups of folks who come together for a common purpose or shared interest. Google sees these groups as strategic partners in their diversity programs, attracting, recruiting and retaining top diverse talent. In addition to the Google Women Engineers and the Gayglers (Google’s GLBT group), the Black Googler Network, Hispanic Googler Network, and the Native American Googlers have all come together in the past year and are already making strides towards their goals of attracting and retaining top talent to Google. These ENG’s provide professional development opportunities within the company and provide a bridge to the communities in which they work and live.
- This year, Google continued to expand and award multiple scholarships through partnerships with organizations such as the Google Anita Borg Memorial Scholarships with partner ABI (Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology). Google expanded the Anita Borg Memorial Scholarship to match their growth into the Australian and European markets in 2006-2007. In addition to supporting the next generation of great technical minds financially, these scholarships also provide hard-earned recognition for achievements, as well as opportunities to network with other scholars and technology professionals at the Google Scholars Retreat. This year's Scholars retreat in Mountain View (March 29-31) also included 8 scholars from Google's partnerships with UNCF (United Negro College Fund) and 18 HCF (Hispanic College Fund) scholars.
- Google maintains a strong Code of Conduct that it expects all Googlers to adhere to. To insure that Googlers feel safe in reporting any potential violation of the policy, and/or asking questions about an action that might be construed to be a violation, Google enforces a strict "no retaliation" policy. Retaliation for reporting a possible violation of the Code of Conduct, otherwise making a complaint regarding a possible violation of the Code or participating in any investigation of a possible violation of the Code is strictly prohibited. If a complaint of retaliation is substantiated, appropriate disciplinary action will be taken, up to and including termination. The Code of Conduct, and the No Retaliation Policy both serve to uphold strong ethical behavior at Google.
- Google has crafted an open door policy which reflects the high value they place on the opinions of employees. Under this policy, any Googler can approach any manager to discuss any issue. The official policy states: Google desires to maintain a friendly, cooperative atmosphere between employees and all levels of management. Consequently, the Company provides opportunities for you to express yourself without recrimination. If you have a problem with your Manager that, despite your mutual efforts, cannot be resolved, you may discuss this with the next higher level of management or with Human Resources. You may request that the Human Resources person or a co-worker accompany you in an advisory capacity in any meeting. While Google prides itself on being an open organization where you can approach any member of management directly, we recommend you first attempt to resolve the issue through your Manager or Human Resources. If not satisfied, you may then continue the process with the successive levels up to the CEO. Concerns, conflicts and complaints will be carefully considered and facilitated promptly.
Best Practices that Build Pride
- Google’s faith and commitment to its mission drives their engineers to make the world’s information accessible to all users. For example, in January of 2007, Google held its first-ever “Accessibility Fixit.” Accessibility involves ensuring that people with disabilities enjoy a user experience equivalent to that of people without disabilities. The “fixit” consisted of a day-long series of seminars and discussion sessions designed to help engineers at Google gain a first-hand awareness of accessibility issues and to show them how to make Google’s products more disability-friendly. As the Fixit’s organizers put it, “As we target the mainstream population, it is important to ensure that the user interfaces and applications we create work for different segments of the population with widely differing needs and abilities.” The Accessibility Fixit is just one example of the power of our company’s mission to inspire Googlers.
- Google encourages employees to volunteer by alerting Nooglers (new Google employees) to volunteer opportunities on their first day at orientation. One program that’s frequently highlighted is Google Grants, which donates free advertising services to select 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations. Google Grants is a unique, in-kind advertising program, which, by harnessing the power of Google’s flagship advertising product, Google Adwords, enables non-profits to better engage their constituents online. Google Grants has awarded AdWords advertising to hundreds of non-profit groups whose missions range from animal welfare to literacy, from supporting homeless children to promoting HIV education.
- In addition to the individual efforts of employees, as a company, Google is passionate about improving the world in which they live. Google has initiated a number of programs to do their part to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, to improve energy efficiency, and to support clean energy sources. In 2007, they switched on the solar panel installation at its Mountain View headquarters. At 1.6 megawatts - and with an electricity output capable of powering approximately 1,000 average California homes – Google’s is the largest solar installation to date on any corporate campus in the United States and one of the largest on any corporate site in the world. Moreover, the company also announced an initiative designed to advance and commercialize the development of plug-in hybrid cars. Google’s work in this area has just begun and they hope to do much more in the future. Meanwhile, their dedication to the cause will likely inspire their employees to become more involved as well!
- Education is essential to Google's value system. Googlers everywhere embrace this through their ongoing commitment to learning, their open-mindedness, and their efforts to help others attain the same educational opportunities taken for granted at Google. In this spirit, last December, the company proudly announced a partnership with Teach For America dedicating to supporting their work to effect change in schools and improve students' opportunities across the country. Google offers a two-year deferral to applicants who are accepted by Teach For America and who also receive a full-time offer from Google. Participants in the program have the opportunity to pursue a Google internship between their first and second years of teaching. After fulfilling their commitments in the classroom, participants start in their full-time roles at Google. Three candidates have already taken advantage of this program in 2007.
Best Practices that Build Camaraderie
- Google does their parties differently from other corporations. Instead of a ballroom filled with pretty flowers and champagne, you’d see enough themed color and creativity to inspire the imagination of every last employee. Google wants Googlers to come together and talk to each other about something other than work; and they find the best starting point for this is to create a dream world. As an example, approximately 6.500 Googlers and their guests descended on Pier 48 in San Francisco for the 2006 Mountain View holiday party. Overlooking AT&T Park and the Bay Bridge, the event lived up to its ambitious theme, "GoogOlympus," with each of the eight spaces named for a different Greek god. In Poseidon, a reggae band serenaded partygoers while a deep-sea diver "swam" above their heads, while Athena, the "urban goddess," transformed the docks of San Francisco into the streets of L.A., complete with day-glow basketball courts and low-riding Impalas bouncing around on hydraulics
- Googlers pride themselves on being "Googley.” Over the years, Google has nurtured a company spirit where it's all right (and even encouraged!) to be quirky and a little irreverent. Worldwide themed “special days” help foster their sense of community and fun. For example, in December, 2006, Google held a global Google Pajama Day to celebrate their ability to be professional without wearing suits. Reveling in Googleyness, employees around the world came to work in their favorite pajamas and fuzzy slippers.
- To round out their first week as Google employees, Nooglers (as they are called) are recognized at TGIF, Google’s all-hands meeting held every Friday afternoon. Sitting in a reserved section at the front of the room, they wear Noogler hats (brightly colored propeller beanies bearing the word “Noogler”) and plaques around their neck displaying fun personal trivia of their choosing. At the beginning of the TGIF program, Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin lead a round of applause to welcome the new folks as their names are projected on a large screen. For Nooglers, this TGIF represents one of their first chances to experience the team spirit of Google.
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