Saturday marked Google’s 16th birthday and the tech giant is showing no signs of slowing down. Google has changed the way businesses can operate; providing a platform for consumers to easily access companies’ profiles and websites, a source of instant information and more recently offering the second largest social network in the world to be utilised.
Not only can businesses now benefit from the range of services that Google offers, but also from Google’s approach to corporate culture and creating a motivated workforce.
The corporate culture of an organisation is its typical way of doing things internally, encompassing among other aspects its attitude, atmosphere and decision making process. Google has been highly successful in creating a relaxed and social atmosphere, particularly noticeable in its headquarters, Googleplex, San Francisco. Here complementary facilities for staff include free organic food for staff at over twenty restaurants and cafes, exercise facilities, haircuts, medical and dental coverage child care and laundry services.
Source: http://www.corporateculturepros.com/2013/07/the-real-secret-of-googles-corporate-culture/
The staggering amount of employee benefits that Google has provided helps to create a community feel within the company. If staff feel part of a community, they will be more committed to the company and are therefore less likely to leave to go to other jobs. This brings about the benefits of reduced recruiting costs and lower staff turnover.
My analysis of Google’s approach shows that companies, whether small and local, or vast and multinational need to see the increasing importance of successful employee relations and a corporate culture. This is because if an organisation can create a positive atmosphere, leading to a more committed workforce, it can benefit from being more competitive. This is a result of staff understanding the organisational values to a greater extent and also decisions being made and interpreted in a similar way throughout the organisation, something of increasing importance with industries becoming more dynamic and companies being more liable to be affected by change.
References
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Googleplex
- http://www.likeable.com/blog/2014/02/5-reasons-brands-should-be-using-google/
- http://postcron.com/en/blog/why-use-google-plus-business-10-implacable-reasons/
- http://static.googleusercontent.com/media/www.google.com/en//webmasters/docs/search-engine-optimization-starter-guide.pdf
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google#Employees
- https://blog.kissmetrics.com/googles-culture-of-success/