The Dangers of Google's Corporate Culture: How the Company Forces Its Employees To Work 24/7

At Google, you can sleep, eat, learn, and have fun, which is completely free for employees! It will seem a natural paradise if we apply for a vacancy, but we still must pay for all these "perks." Indeed, it is not with money but with our time and resources. What are the dangers of Google's corporate culture, and why sometimes the absence of such a developed community, on the contrary, helps the business and its employees?

Google focuses on an unconventional approach

Employees of the corporation can offer an unusual way of solving a routine daily task, which has bored everyone. On the one hand, the company thus increases creativity, which helps it improve its business results. What if John from a neighbouring department has a different idea of how to solve a problem than the other team? What if that insight is the breakthrough insight that the product desperately needs? On the other hand, employees spread their attention over many tasks. Yes, they interact with each other, but the focus on solving their problems is often lacking. Now, realising this, Google is trying to fight it: for example, in some teams, you can only help other employees (not from the same department) on Fridays. So far, there are no intermediate results of such an "experiment".

The approach cultivated at Google is more suitable for those employees who are not yet 100% sure of their professional purpose. In this case, switching between different departments' tasks will help a person find their true passion. However, for those who have already decided on their life's work, mandatory participation in other people's tasks will become more of a trigger, preventing them from fulfilling their job duties well.

What are the dangers of this?

• Decreased productivity.
• An inability to focus on your tasks.
• You are frustrated because of having to help your colleagues creatively.

Google values interaction

In other words, gossip, rumours, intrigue, and investigations blossom in the company's offices. Yes, junior specialists can share their opinions about a feature or service with top management without a long process of approving letters and requests. Yes, all teams know each other, and this value is embedded in the employee's understanding of the corporate culture at the hiring stage. However, the competition for a place in the sun at a corporation like Google is even more intense than you might imagine. Moreover, the conventional culture of openness does not improve the situation: the more you know about the pain points of the related department, the better you can present your team to the management.

Incidentally, this is the same skill Google's HR people often consider when selecting new candidates. The company only hires one per cent of people out of all users who send resumes to open positions. Furthermore, as Google recruiters have repeatedly admitted, they value communication skills, conflict resolution, creativity, modesty, and teamwork orientation in new hires. The general picture is as follows: Google needs employees who will give their talent to the company in exchange for money, keep silent at the right moment and, together with other employees like them, come up with new ways to earn money. The way to get to the top is through intrigue and gossip, which not every employee is ready to do.

What are the dangers of this?

• An unhealthy team atmosphere.
• The desire to get promoted overshadows the desire to create a great product.
• Gossip and intrigue hinder the development of employees focused solely on building a career.

You can work in any format at Google

Would you like a floating workspace in the format of a seat in an open space, an assigned seat in an on-site café, or any of those lounge chairs you like? Okay! The coffee and cakes will be paid for by Google, by the way. Are you dreaming of spending one day at home and working remotely? You can do it all week long! The company will provide the equipment for work. This is a perfect working atmosphere: no one micromanages you, and you have the opportunity to express yourself to the maximum from the place that suits you! But in fact, this approach makes employees work even harder than usual. You can leave the office, which you are already bored with, at 5pm on the dot. Try to get away from the lounge chair, surrounded by a mountain of free coffee cups, because you are unlikely to succeed the first time.

By the way, they will also pay for breakfast, lunch, dinner, high-quality medical services, appointments with a psychologist, massage, the services of a make-up artist, stylist, beauty treatments, and a personal trainer. They'll also buy you a gym membership, invite you to play sports with local teams, play video games or even wash your clothes. Indeed, Google has a mini city with a daycare centre for employees' children and beds for those who don't want to go home. What's more, you don't want to leave! But here's the problem: employees working in such an atmosphere spend about ten to twelve hours daily on their duties. It greatly exceeds the limits set by a person's physical capabilities.

What are the dangers of this?

• Increase in the length of the employee's working hours.
• Dependence of the employee's life and their family on the employer.
• The blurring of the boundaries between work and personal life.
• A lack of time for adequate rest.

Corporate culture usually says more about the capitalistic side of a company than the human side. Therefore, firms that genuinely care about their employees have the best chance of succeeding in a market where talent is critical. Learn how to build a corporate culture attractive to employees with Lectera's courses!