Five-time winner of Fortune’s Best Place to Work – and quite a hit with our readers, too
Think of Google as an employer – or even Google ‘Google employer’ – and you’ll be overwhelmed with reasons why it is held in such high regard. Our army of HR and L&D professionals picked the tech giant for its cutting-edge technology and innovation, high engagement levels, great bonuses and opportunities to collaborate on creative projects. But does the reality match the hyperbole?
“People want to work for Google because it’s a successful organisation, has an exceptionally strong brand, and is operating in a growth market,” says Nick Holley, co-director of the Henley Centre for HR Excellence. “Google’s the name to have on your CV right now.”
The notorious Google perks, from generous death-in-service benefits to never-ending free snacks, certainly help, but it would be a mistake to assume they are the main appeal. “Staff joke that employees gain the ‘Google stone’ within three months of joining,” says Holley. “But I have faith that people don’t join a firm for free goji berries or a pool table.”
Julian Birkinshaw, London Business School professor of strategy and entrepreneurship, says: “Google spends a lot of time thinking about management development. That’s surprising for an engineering company.”
The Californian start-up is famous for throwing data at problems, says Birkinshaw, and this approach is just as applicable to HR issues. “Even if it’s a soft problem – like how to get better leaders – it’s willing to tackle it using hard data from annual reviews. Google has helped legitimise the trend of using big data to address leadership and cultural issues.”
“Its data use is absolutely transferable, whereas as many of Google’s other initiatives are quite sector-specific,” says Holley. “Data analytics is the single most important thing HR needs to get its head around. Broadly speaking, the use of data by HR teams is poor – primarily because people are looking at data for solutions, rather than to understand issues.”
It is here that Google has an edge, but it is equally innovative with its L&D, pioneering a network of multimedia peer-to-peer learning that utterly transforms the way knowledge is disseminated within organisations. Little wonder you’re so keen to be part of the revolution.