Job satisfaction

Googliness to the rescue: Job Satisfaction in Google employees. 

Why do we pick certain jobs over other jobs? Why do we pick certain companies over others? These are questions often asked. The answer to this would be the job satisfaction that we derive from the work we do. Job satisfaction has gained a lot of importance today, whether is it in a temporary job or what we call our ‘dream job’. According to a stat by Job Vacancy Result, Job Satisfaction proved to be the most important factor in shortlisting offers.

What does job satisfaction mean?

Job satisfaction is a positive effect that a job has on a person or the pleasure that a person derives from the job. Every employee derives a certain feeling about the job after evaluating the characteristics. But to understand this we need to remember that the job does not only consist of the technical work that the person is required to do. It also includes interacting with people, following the rules and meeting the goals. (Redmond, 2012)

What contributes to job satisfaction? 

The pay, promotion opportunities, how stimulating the job is and how challenging the person perceives the job to be or the personality of the employee contribute in varying degrees to the level of satisfaction. Job satisfaction can be a good predictor of job performance, organization behaviour, customer satisfaction, absenteeism and also turn over. 

The company that first comes to our mind when we talk about job satisfaction is Google. Why is it that Google has topped the list of best companies to work for? The employee ratings of the company show that 95% of the employees find Google to be a company with great bosses, communication, rewards, good atmosphere and challenges. Why is it that the employees of Google have rated it so high? Why is it that the employees do not mind giving more than what is required to the company? How has Google managed to motivate the employees into being loyal, productive, innovative and ambitious?

A survey shows that the reason for Google to be rated so high is that they make it a point to provide the employees with all the resources required to get the job done. The employees are also given many additional perks like free meals and fitness classes. The management follows ethical practices. The rewards and autonomy that the employees get from Google is very high. (Google Inc., 2015)

CareerBliss says that the rise in the ranking of Google on the aspect of job satisfaction was due to the improvement in the support provided to the employees. Google was rated 4.31 on the ‘Bliss Score’. It is suggested that the increase was because of the company’s efforts in preventing the fleeing. Google keeps a check on the motivation levels of the employees and constantly ensures that they have the inspiration and incentive for work. Google has a program of 80/20 which encourages its employees to pursue their interests and passions on the job. The employees are allowed to spend 80% of their time on the work given by the company and the rest on the 20% on their interests.  (Why Google Employees Are Happier Than Ever, 2012) 

The work culture of Google is well known all around the world. Google hires employees based on their level of ‘Googliness’. Google also makes it a point to give importance to the little things that matter. For example, Google hired researchers to figure out the impact of the long lunch line in the cafeteria and the duration of time they spend on waiting for the food. (Entis, 2013). Such small issues have a great impact on employees. It is little things like waiting longer for lunch, quality of the food and getting a little extra time that has a huge impact on the level of job satisfaction. Google provides the employees with sleeping pods which they can use during the work hours. The generation today feels that there is a need for relaxation in the workplace, especially in the IT sector, and they appreciate this measure. This corresponds directly to the report made by Job Vacancy Result, as measures like these significantly contribute to job satisfaction.

On a surface level, we may seem to think that the reason is that Google provides the employees with extravagant perks. But this is not the case. It is said that the level of research and resources that was put into the optimization of performance and satisfaction of the employees was the same as the resources put in for creating the self-driving cars. Larry Page and Sergey Brin have constantly been trying to make the experience of working for Google better. (Crowley, 2013). Their aim was not to seek an advantage over other companies. Their aim was for the betterment of the employees. When employees know that the management cares about their well-being, they tend to have better satisfaction. Google is seen as an apt example of a company which gave importance to the welfare of the employees and saw an increase in productivity and job satisfaction. Check out other such roles in Job Vacancy Result, who value quality more than quantity.