Tech giant launches site to share ideas for a happier, healthier and more productive workforce
Google has launched a new website, re:Work, to share its research and ideas on how to create a happier, healthier and more productive workforce through culture and management practices.
Announcing the launch of re: Work on LinkedIn, Laszlo Block, senior vice president of People Operations at Google, said: "We spend more time working than doing anything else in life. Work should be motivating and energising and that’s just not the reality for too many people.
"I wrote Work Rules! to tell the story of how we think about our people at Google. After the publication of the book, I was humbled by the outpouring of support and interest from people all around the world. Many of them also told me that they wanted more - more of the nitty-gritty, the details, the programmes and practices, so they could change their workplaces too. The re:Work website is our response to the community of people who want to make work better around the world."
The website is organised into four areas: hiring, managers, people analytics and unbaising. It has guides, tools, case studies and a feedback mechanism for other companies to share their learning. Here are eight of the top tips from the site:
1) Front-load your training budget.
"Why not front-load the investment and spend the majority of time and money on attracting, assessing and cultivating new hires? If you are better able to select the right people up front, then you can spend less time on training bad hires and dealing with the consequences."
2) Stick to structured interview questions.
"When it comes to hiring, don't trust your gut. Research shows that during first encounters we make snap, unconscious judgments heavily influenced by our existing unconscious biases and beliefs. In an interview context, without realising it, we shift from assessing the complexities of a candidate’s competencies to hunting for evidence that confirms our initial impression." The site notes that Google uses structured interviewing - using the same interview questions, grading candidate responses on the same scale, and making hiring decisions based on consistent, predetermined qualifications. Users can download a grading rubric tool to help assess interviewee responses.
3) Identify and share what makes a great manager.
"In 2002, Google ran an uncontrolled 'experiment' by getting rid of all managers. It didn’t go well. Managers matter a lot," notes re:Work. Research by Google identified a set of eight common behaviors among the best managers. These included: not micromanaging, expressing concern over the personal wellbeing of team members, being a good communicator and a good coach and having a clear vision/strategy for the team. Google has an annual Great Managers Award programme where employees can nominate managers. Winners are recognised in front of the entire company and get to meet and work with senior leadership.
4) Train managers after they start a management role.
"Google usually trains new managers after they’ve already started their new role - generally 45 to 90 days into management. While, intuitively, it makes sense to prepare someone for a job before they start doing it, the team has found managers are most receptive to learning after they’ve had some time in the new role and gathered some experience upon which to reflect."
5) Build a manager community.
re:Work suggests creating a mailing list where any people manager can join and discuss people management topics.
6) Use people analytics.
"Surveys are a great way to gather data about your organisation. Whether it’s an annual employee survey, a form where employees give feedback to managers or a post-training assessment, collecting data from your employees can inform decisions and guide organisational action."
7) Be aware of unconscious bias.
"Unconscious bias can prevent individuals from making the most objective decisions. They can cause people to overlook great ideas, undermine individual potential, and create a less than ideal work experience for their colleagues." The first step is to raise awareness of unconscious biases, perhaps through hosting a workshop.
8) Be mindful of environment and unconscious bias.
How individuals see themselves reflected in their surroundings (or not) can have psychological and cognitive effects. "When thinking about building a workforce, conference panels or event attendee lists, Google wants to be cognizant of representation and thoughtful about what unintentional signals might be present and the message that's sending."
In his LinkedIn announcement, Block encouraged other companies to contribute to re:Work. "We don’t want to just talk about Google, because we don’t have all the answers. There are a lot of organisations out there using data to make work better," he added.