Google has been in the top 10 list of “Best Companies to Work For” by Fortune magazine for three years running and was number one on the list for two of those three years. But make no mistake. Google’s executives decided to offer all these fabulous perks for several reasons: to attract the best knowledge workers it can in an intensely competitive, cutthroat market; to help employees work long hours and not have to deal with time-consuming personal chores; to show employees they’re valued; and to have employees remain Googlers (the name used for employees) for many years. But a number of Googlers have jumped ship and given up these fantastic benefits to go out on their own.
1. Google is doing a lot for its employees, but obviously not enough to retain several of its talented employees. Using what you’ve learned from studying the various motivation theories, what does this situation tell you about employee motivation?
2. What do you think is Google’s biggest challenge in keeping employees motivated?
3. If you were managing a team of Google employees, how would you keep them motivated?