Assignment on Google HRM practice

HRM430

Prepared for

Faisol Chowdhury

Faculty Member

School of Business

Prepared by

Tasbir Hakim

072 021 030

North South University

1. What do you think of the idea of Google correlating personal traits from the employees’

answers on the survey to their performance, and then using that as the basis for screening

job candidates? In other words, Is It or Is it not a good idea and please explain your answer

Yes it is a good idea. Google requires certain common traits like employees have to be from the

best universities, super bright, hard-working, team oriented, diverse interests, flexible and

maintain a work-life balance. If those traits are used for short listing during the initial screening

process then the time taken to select the right candidates can be reduced.

The idea of Google correlating personal traits from the existing employees is not a bad idea.

However, it will help to some extent only and this process will not fully justify for initial

screening process.

Google’s Hiring Mantra is rather than search for one particular skill set, they hire ‘Smart’

workers having different skills set. Google hire process inclusive of determining the person have

the skill set and experience potential to do the Job from background standpoint in addition to

academics and credentials.

Job candidates have to pass through various tests / interviews conducted over phone / at Job site.

Using or correlating personal traits from the employees’ answers may give very basic

information in initial screening process and cannot be 100% yard stick for screening process.

2. The benefits that Google pays obviously represent an enormous expense. Based on what

you know about Google and what you read in this book, how would you defend all these

benefits if you are making a presentation to the security analysts who were analyzing

Google’s performance?

Google is a 24-hour operation and the engineers and others frequently pull all-nighters to

complete their projects. Also, working at Google requires a special set of traits, for instance they

need to attract people who are super bright, love to work, have fun, can handle stress and who

also have outside interests and flexibility. For attracting the right kind of talent and retaining

them, the company needs to provide a company needs to provide a package of services and

financial benefits that helps its employees maintain an acceptable work-life balance.

Google strives to have the fastest, most reliable search engine on the web and in order to

accomplish this; Google has to hire employees that are the best in their technological field.

Google rewards their employee's hard work with an extremely relaxed workplace that

encourages creativity.

Google understands that their employee's have active lives outside of the workplace and they

encourage their employees to bring those parts of their lives into the Google employee

community. It is this sort of culture that creates individuals that have the desire and the

motivation to stay with a company.

For attracting the right kind of talent and retaining them, the company needs to provide a

package of services and financial benefits that helps its employees maintain an acceptable work-

life balance.

3. If you want to hire the brightest people around, how would you go about recruiting and

selecting them?

a. Go to the best universities/ campus recruitments

b. Poach from competitors

c. Referrals (incentive plans for existing employees)

4. To support its growth and expansion strategy, Google wants (among other traits) people

who are super bright, and who work hard, often round the clock and who are flexible and

maintain a decent work-life balance. List five specific HR policies or practices that you

think Google has implemented or should implement to support its strategy, and explain

your answer.

1) Google Has Changed Work Itself with “20% Time”

The key element of changing the work so that the work itself becomes a critical attraction

and retention force and driver of innovation and motivation is what Google calls “20%

work.” There is no concrete definition of what 20% work means, but generally for

professional jobs it means that the employee works the equivalent of one-day-a-week on

their own researching individually selected projects that the company funds and supports.

2) Human resource Practices:

A flat organization, a lack of hierarchy, a collaborative environment--to keep these as

continue to grow and spread them and filtrate them into their new offices around the world.

3) More money up front

Approximately 1,000 Google employees were benefitted in 2004, when the company's high-

profile initial stock offering made them instant millionaires.

4) Giving a taste of the culture

Everyone at the company seems to really enjoy what they do, and people sincerely believe

that they can make a difference. It is extremely motivating to show up each day to the office

knowing that their work will be seen by millions of people.

5) The World’s First Recruiting Culture

Google has accomplished something that no other corporation has ever accomplished. In less

than a handful of years, they have developed what can only be categorized as a “recruiting

machine.”

5. What sorts of factors do you think Google will have to take into consideration as it tries

transferring its culture and reward systems and ways of doing business to its operations

abroad?

a. International Laws

b. International taxation issues

c. Cultural differences

d. Differences for not being able to provide same kind of benefits

In addition to the above, highly skilled and trained personnel from Google culture to be posted at

abroad to establish the core values and culture right from the scratch.

6. Given the sorts of values and culture Google cherishes, briefly describe four specific

activities you suggest they pursue during new employee orientation

1. Orient all new employees consistently through the use of an orientation

checklist, employee handbook and orientation program to indulge in to Google culture

2. Communicate pride in the company by introducing new employee by sending email,

giving welcome kit to new employee etc.

3.  Encourage communication, and a sense of importance, by inviting new employees to

have coffee or lunch with the senior management.

4.  Reduce the stress of starting a new job by pairing new employees with a more senior or

experienced team member that can help coach them through the first few weeks on the

job.