Employee Experience

Company Culture at Google

6 Mins read

Due to its breakthrough product launches, amazing employee facilities, and innovative attitude, tech giant Google is often in the news. And now, through this article, we’ll shed some light on company culture at Google.

It is now a global source of information and knowledge for its billions of users.

Google will not only be the most popular search engine in the world nowadays; it will also provide services and products in computer software and hardware, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and the advertising business.

The company is dedicated to increasing possibilities, diversifying its workforce, and developing products that improve people’s lives.

Google has always been unusual in its approach and decisions, whether it’s their bright logos or its dancing doodles. As a result, Google has a distinct and forward-thinking work culture.

But what makes company culture at Google so special?
Google doesn’t have a secret recipe. It is the result of years of experimentation and progress.
So, let’s take a closer look at Google’s workplace culture.

Google company culture

Advantages of Working at Google

1. Google employees are an important element of the company

Every year, Google hires hundreds of individuals. It’s not easy to create an environment where these people feel included and valued. Google, on the other hand, has done it successfully. The company has created an environment where everyone feels like they are contributing to the collective good. According to Google, 80% of employees are satisfied with their jobs.

Google’s culture is a shining example of a productive workplace. Their employees have the opportunity to work with cutting-edge technology and are deeply involved in using technology to solve the world’s most pressing challenges. “Uncomfortably exciting” is a concept that Google promotes, and it is now followed by all of its employees. To preserve efficiency and transparency, the corporation also shares all available information with the staff.

Aside from offering benefits like free meals, amusing games, nap pods, and on-site physicians, Google also monitors personnel satisfaction and happiness.

Googlegeist, for example, is an annual survey that collects responses from all Google employees on topics such as company culture, salary, supervisors, work-life balance, and career chances. 

2. Creativity and Innovation   

Google has introduced plenty of ground-breaking services since its creation, including YouTube, Google Maps, Google Drive, Gmail, and the list goes on. 

For innovation, Google adopts the “Think 10x” rule. According to this concept, Google aims to improve a product ten times rather than ten percent. The company also employs a “soft opening” strategy to gather consumer feedback on new product launches and subsequently innovate depending on the comments.

3. Working at Google is fun.

It’s difficult to create a workplace where employees love working long hours. From professional hair salons to gyms and swimming pools, from vital nap pods to on-site fitness and wellness centers, from video games to foosball and ping pong, from micro kitchens to free lunch and dinner, Google has it all in one place: Google office. This tech behemoth has succeeded in creating a creative and enjoyable work environment for its employees. This boosts employee productivity and frees them from the confines of a monotonous cubicle, drab conference rooms, or a formal corporate environment. Google, which began in a garage, now operates on Googleplex. The Googleplex in Mountain View is a popular tourist destination for visitors from all over the world.

Your pets will also keep you company in Google. So, if you want to bring your pet to work, Google is the place to go.

Google Gmail Google Maps Google Drive

4. There isn’t a standard company culture at Google.

According to Larry and Sergey’s inaugural founder’s letter to all possible stakeholders, “Google isn’t your typical corporation. We have no intention of becoming one. We have governed Google differently throughout its history as a privately held company.” Google has operated in a unique manner since its foundation. The company has promoted a learning and knowledge-sharing culture. They believe that every employee has the right to learn and that education is the responsibility of the entire organization. 

Google promotes flexibility. Google has 139,995 people and over 70 offices in 50 countries as of 2021. Google, on the other hand, has launched a tool that allows its employees to evaluate the salary and benefits of working from home. “We’ll move to a hybrid work week where most Googlers spend around three days in the office and two days wherever they work best,” Sundar Pichai, Google’s CEO, wrote in an email to his staff. Flexible schedules allow staff to experiment with new ideas and work from a more comfortable location. Because, at the end of the day, it is the people who make the company great. And Google is well aware of it.

Despite all of the benefits of company culture at Google, there are some drawbacks.
Let’s face them too.

Drawbacks of Working at Google

1. There are a number of workers who are overqualified

“The worst thing of working at Google for many employees is that they are overqualified for their jobs,” one commenter wrote. Also, according to the text, Google has a lot of hiring power because of its brand’s ranking, compensation, benefits, and favorable work culture.

2. Working on Google could take up the majority of your time.

“The worst aspect about working on Google is that it may take up the majority of your time and energy without you even realizing it,” says a former sales clerk. “It’s entirely likely that Google will swiftly overtake your life if you don’t demand to know where the boundaries are.”

3. Many initiatives are canceled on a regular basis and for no apparent reason.

“By far the worst for me have been times when some of my initiatives have been canceled entirely suddenly and senselessly,” an anonymous comment. “On top of that, workers who worked on discontinued projects and had the potential to be promoted were refused recognition because their efforts had no effect on the business.”

4. Managers frequently lack the skills necessary to lead a team.

“People who advertise for managerial or team management positions are not doing so because they truly understand how to manage people; rather, they are doing it because they are smart, prepared, or because they have no other internal path in their professional career,” says a former manager of a technical program.

“As a result, there is a large group of educated people who are ineffective team leads and poor leaders.”

5. Despite popular opinion, there is insufficient diversity.

According to an anonymous comment, “Google always recruits the same individual profile over and over again.” «Same studies, the same universities, the same worldview, the same passions…» It’s no exaggeration to say that in my three years at Google, I met 100 triathletes, and just a few of them were truly fascinating.»

6. Working at Google will not prepare you for future employment opportunities.

“The disadvantage is that after a few years of doing the same thing, you might easily lose contact with the real world, i.e. how to build using open source technology,” explains a former engineer.

7. You have to put in a lot of effort to be seen and differentiated, but that isn’t always enough.

Many bright people work hard to set themselves apart from the competition, but that doesn’t guarantee you a spot in the most fascinating departments or projects. “Simply put, there are thousands of individuals as smart as you ahead of you in line who are similarly underestimated,” explains a former engineer.

8. During the recruiting process, Google will always offer a lot of promises.

“If you are in the interviewing process with Google to opt for a job, you must negotiate very hard, be demanding, and, of course, make sure you have everything in writing”.
“Google makes a lot of promises that it doesn’t seem to keep.”

9. Engineers are the only ones who can sense that they are doing anything unique.

“It’s really easy to feel like you’re just a component of the Google machine if you’re in a non-technical position, such as sales, recruitment, or operations,” one commenter says. “Many processes have already been worked out to the point that many people feel overqualified to be doing that task,” says one participant.

10. Workers who are hired on a temporary or contract basis are hated.

“Those who can have a temporary employment on Google can have hard times, even be hated,” a person who worked temporarily explains. “Employees who don’t work full-time for Google are considered inferior workers by Googlers.”

Still, the balance is favorable, and Google remains, without a question, one of the best places to work in the world, and working for Google is a once-in-a-lifetime chance.

Conclusion

Google, established in the United States, aspires to empower the globe by providing one-click answers. Google is a powerhouse of technological advancement. Employees have a profound love for technology as a result of this inventive culture. As a result, if you join this well-known company, you will have the opportunity to make a difference in the world. “We could certainly address a lot of the difficulties we confront as humans,” Google co-founder Larry Page said in one of his interviews.

Further Reading

How To Praise Someone Professionally
Behavioral Observation Scale
Change Management Books
Employee to Employer Relationship

15 posts

About author
Content Writer at Employee Experience Magazine
Articles
Related posts
Employee Experience

New Study Shows Rise in Independent by Choice Workers over Traditional Employment

2 Mins read
ASHBURN, VA – October 15, 2024 – A new study from MBO Partners highlights a transformative shift in the American labor market, revealing a 6.5%…
Employee Experience

Leaders Eat Last: How A Culture of Trust & Empathy Benefits Employee Performance

4 Mins read
Have you ever worked for someone who just did not get it? They didn’t understand what your job entailed, they expected you…
Employee Experience

Survey Finds Majority of Employees Have Fallen Victim to a Cyber Attack

3 Mins read
Results from a new study by Yubico show the need for education and taking a more holistic approach to cybersecurity at both…
Get a selection of the best & newest articles straight to your inbox.

Subscribe

Subscribing to Employee Experience Magazine provides you with exclusive insights and updates from the world of EX. Be the first to get the updates and exclusive stories and offers.