Google’s workplace culture has received high ratings on Glassdoor and the tech giant was recently voted the best employer in a survey conducted by job site Comparably. This is just one of the many accolades that Google has received.
The internet company is well-known for providing generous compensation and benefits to its employees, including engineers, researchers, creatives, and top thinkers.
The people team at Google understands that employee happiness goes beyond simply distributing rewards and subsidies. Every action taken by HR to foster a positive office culture is methodical and based on sound principles.
Google’s successful HR strategy was not achieved by chance.
According to experts, the perks and bonuses are a reflection of a fundamental aspect of the management strategy – gaining insights into the workforce through people analytics.
Both qualitative and quantitative
With its focus on data analysis, Google is able to uncover valuable insights and trends that often go unnoticed by other employers who lack a people analytics strategy.
According to Google’s re:Work website, the team utilizes predictive analytics and experimental research to discover fresh insights, address human resource challenges, and guide HR decision-making.
According to Laszlo Bock, the former senior vice president of Google’s people operations, this approach is all about transitioning from relying on instincts to relying on scientific data.
Google’s HR department thoroughly examines various aspects of the workplace to uncover the key factors that contribute to employee happiness. Insights into everyday concerns are supported by solid data and valuable input from employees.
As an illustration, people analytics revealed that Googlers were content with spending three to four minutes in the lunch line as it allowed them plenty of time to socialize. Going beyond that, however, made them feel they were not being productive.
Another instance is when the people team analyzed the perspective of Googlers regarding authority. Although employees may have reservations about following management directives, the human resources team took a data-driven approach to assess the effectiveness of management and understand the reasons behind it.
Through the analysis of employee surveys, performance ratings, and productivity metrics, the company’s people operations found that exceptional managers played a crucial role in fostering high-performing teams.
Delving further into people analytics, Google has identified the characteristics of successful team leaders. HR thoroughly evaluated survey comments, management nominations, and performance evaluations, and conducted unbiased interviews with both top performers and those who may need improvement.
Discovering Google’s approach to people analytics
Utilizing both qualitative and quantitative methods not only replaces untested strategies with data-driven processes, but also fosters employee engagement by demonstrating the direct impact of their feedback on human resources throughout the company, according to Paul Burrin, vice president at HR technology group Sage People.
Can smaller companies adopt a similar approach to HR leadership as Google?
According to Ji-A Min, head data scientist at AI-powered software group Ideal.com, anyone has the ability to do it.
With the insights from Google’s people analytics team, you can enhance your HR practices and make improvements, regardless of your financial resources or brand reputation.
According to her, the key is to gather pertinent data, employ HR methods based on evidence, and always remember the importance of the human element in human resources.