How does Google keep their staff happy?
In the past decade Google have been deemed the number one place to work 7 times. This is no coincidence. Google endeavour to keep their employees happy and successful with 3 main consistent key points.
They have a plan known as the 80-20 plan, this is where 20 per cent of an employee’s time can be spent as they wish working on growing and nurturing unique abilities. The theory is that this empowers employees to take control of their own personal development.
The second key point they use is to put no pressure on their employees to over achieve and hit goals, in fact they welcome the ‘try and fail’ approach. Reduction in pressure means people will be more confident in setting goals and trying new methods and approaches to their work.
Finally, Google have a policy that they will, at all times, in every aspect, remain transparent. In other words, they keep everything internally open and upfront, no hidden surprises or secrets. This policy manifests itself through the team’s success. It limits any backstabbing or nasty office politics, which as anyone who has ever worked in a large office knows, can be utterly destructive and soul destroying. Google don’t stop there though, they empower their employees by trusting them with all the knowledge they need to do their job, so no ‘gatekeepers’ or having to refer to others in authority within the company.
