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Google's new culture: Perks are out. Being grateful you have a job is in

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Re: Google's new culture: Perks are out. Being grateful you have a job is in

#61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I used to do that at my old company! And it was definitely an old company!

Hewlett-Packard?

Does anyone know whether HP had anything like 20% time in its earlier days? I've never heard that they did, but now that you mention it it does seem like the kind of thing that HP might have done.

Re: Google's new culture: Perks are out. Being grateful you have a job is in

#62
post #37
post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can't find the link. But I'm pretty sure I saw a survey somewhere that showed the opposite finding: people prefer a pay raise to perks.

I imagine people might say they prefer salary over the equivalent in perks, but that doesn't mean they actually do. Getting paid 50% of market rate, but your boss flies the whole company to Europe for a week? Awesome company!

The problem with perks is that not everyone wants the same thing. I worked for Google, and while the annual ski trip was an amazing perk, I never really enjoyed it. I just don't like group travel very much. I'd probably feel the same way about a Europe trip.

I also found that the longer I worked there, the less the food perks mattered. Right out of college they were unbelievable, but after a few years I wanted to go home and eat dinner with my friends, without feeling like I was wasting the perk benefit.

Re: Google's new culture: Perks are out. Being grateful you have a job is in

#63
post #42

My favorite shark-jump moment was when someone in HR sent out a blast email announcing a new HR initiative for a "wear pajamas to work day" highlighting Google culture. When HR has to manufacture culture and call it a perk, things are on their way downhill...

My favorite was the thread that followed that, outlining the differences between "wear what what you sleep in to work" and "wear pajamas to work"

Re: Google's new culture: Perks are out. Being grateful you have a job is in

#64
post #2

They had better not get rid of that 20% of your time on a pet project perk. That is an inherent strategic advantage.

A lot of Googlers report 20% time is a bit of myth, because many engineers end up struggling more than 100% time to deliver their principle project.

Most of the people that I knew who had 20% projects, it was something like getting unit test coverage up for their main project. Mine was maintaining my previous project for years. Some people do have cool ones, but it wasn't common.

Re: Google's new culture: Perks are out. Being grateful you have a job is in

#66
post #53

Maybe perks don't really scale so well. It's surprising that he said the pay is very good, I was the impression people took paycuts for the google priviledge.

http://www.glassdoor.com/Salary/Google-Salaries-E9079.htm

Looks pretty good to me.

Re: Google's new culture: Perks are out. Being grateful you have a job is in

#69
post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, I'm still getting free food up here in Google Kirkland, and it's great. The article seemed pretty odd to me, too.

Yes so what perks are being cut exactly? The article is vague about that.

Not cuts so much as scaling back and eliminating waste. If you can provide the same perk in a less wasteful way then you save.

Re: Google's new culture: Perks are out. Being grateful you have a job is in

#70
post #46

I'm surprised people thought the perks would last. Every company goes through that phase, where employees are showered with perks (of bizarre variety - everything from free laundry to day care for kids to free pop soda). The company either grows to the point where many of the perks are no longer sustainable (employees grow older, have kids -> company spends a LOT more on day care etc.), and/or hits an economic recess…

I disagree. I think the perks would have continued if it wasn't for the down encon.

Parent said that economy will go down at some point no matter what. Which is why perks don't last. That's only one of the many reasons.
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