Google Speaks by Lowe Janet

Author:Lowe, Janet
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Published: 2010-05-10T16:00:00+00:00

FABLED WORKPLACE

Fortune is just one of several publications to have rated Google number one on its list of best places to work.

Google has become the world’s employer of choice, the mark of a new and desired work environment, and the ideal against which other companies are measured. And why not? Despite the liberal sharing of profits and a slowdown in the world economy, Google continues to do interesting work and make money.

Depending on the office location, the company provides laundry equipment for all those blue jeans and t-shirts. Employees can get haircuts, have the oil changed in their cars, and get workouts within a quick walk from their desks. There are massages, volleyball courts, swimming pools, and food—lots of food. Google even has its own cricket club at its office in Hyderabad, India.

Dressing casually is almost a requirement at Google. Most workers, including those in France and Ireland, wear blue jeans to work. Despite the casual atmosphere, Eric Schmidt says that the rule is, workers must at least wear something. The style is best described as “disheveled student.”19

Google takes pride in its Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) such as Google Women Engineers, Black Google Network, and even Gayglers. Gayglers include the company’s GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transsexual) employees. “Google’s ERGs,” writes the company on its website, “create networks within the company that reach across functional and national boundaries to strengthen the company’s retention programs. They provide valuable feedback about the workings of Google’s HR programs and policies, as well as provide valuable opportunities for personal growth and professional development.”

Then there are the stock options. These lucrative perks present a dilemma in that they both keep employees at the company and eventually allow them to fly away and either live free or start their own businesses.

One employee said he appreciates all of the perks, but what he enjoys most is working with the best and brightest people in his field in a collegial, cooperative atmosphere. Stanford Ph.D.s are so common, he said, that those who have earned them don’t get much in bragging rights. “I trained as a business analyst,” he explained. “When I joined Google my computer skills weren’t on a plane with the engineers. But they were great in helping me learn what I needed to know.”

The Google workplace of today is shaped by many factors—the expectations of Larry and Sergey’s generation, the company’s location in Silicon Valley, and an academic-rich environment. Even the personal histories of the founders carry weight. Larry Page places enormous importance on being a good employer.

“My grandfather,” explained Page, “worked in the auto plants in Flint, Michigan. He was an assembly-line worker. During the sit-down strikes he used to carry this long iron pipe with a big chunk of lead on the end when he walked to work.”20 He did it, Page said, to protect himself from the company. “I still have the hammer. That’s two generations ago, and we’ve come a long way. I don’t think any of our employees have to carry such weapons to work.

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