Is Google the perfect employer? Ranked first in numerous surveys of the top employers in Europe and the U.S., the leading search engine seems to make its employees happy. A bit of informality, a dash of fun and a generous measure of motivation… are the only ingredients required!
In a survey, it was ranked fourth best U.S. company to work for* and according to The Great Place to Work Institute, it was number one in the U.S. (2007 and 2008), in France (2008) and in Italy (2008). So, what is Google’s secret weapon? The free cafeterias? The game room? The massage chairs? Flextime? The Google work environment is certainly not your typical one. A casual dress code and a cool appearance are the norm for employees. Depending on their mood, employees can trade in their office for a comfy sofa, or type away on their laptops while nibbling on a snack. In short, everything is done to make workers feel truly independent, under a very light hierarchical structure.
From the outside, one could wonder where the boundary between work and leisure is. But this apparent laid-back attitude does not make Google a company where one twiddles one’s thumbs—not at all. The purpose of all these perks is to boost creativity, facilitate communication, and generate a flow of ideas. As with any company, Google expects results from its employees (of course!). Moreover, 20% of work time is devoted to personal projects. These projects get special attention, and benefit from all the support required for their implementation, which is how GMail was born.
With 3,994 billion searches a month**, a 54% market share and a million applications received worldwide, the recipe seems to be working—for business results as well as employee wellbeing!
*A study published by U.S. Fortune magazine
**Nielsen//NetRatings, September 2007