READ THE ARTICLE BELOW AND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS THAT FOLLOW: The Google Way of Motivating Employees When it comes to motivating their employees, it can be said without question that Google stands out from the rest. Google was named the 2014 Best Company to Work For by the Great Place to Work Institute and Fortune Magazine. The organization topped the list for the fifth time. True, in its short lifespan, Google has acquired for itself a huge and bright workforce (over 50,000 employees spread throughout the world) that serves millions of people all over the globe. However, what is even more exemplary is how Google heavily pampers its employees while still being able to extract one-of-a-kind and outstanding ideas and products from them. Googles model of motivation and leadership topples traditional leadership theory which focuses more on results than on the people who deliver those results. The companys work culture is true to its philosophy: To create the happiest, most productive workplace in the world. These words from the Vice President of people development at Google only serve to support that fact: Its less about the aspiration to be No. 1 in the world, and more that we want our employees and future employees to love it here, because thats whats going to make us successful. While the company was in its early days, its co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin went looking out for organizations that were known to care for people, develop truly amazing brands and trigger extraordinary innovation. The objective of this search was to be able to draw and keep great talent. In their search, they found the SAS institute (which was then ranked No. 1 on the Great Place to Work Institutes list of best multinational companies to work for) as one company that was worth modeling. Interactions with SAS executives led the Google founders to understand that people were really successful in their jobs and loyal too when they felt truly valued and thoroughly supported. The result was the Google work culture as we know it now with huge and plentiful perks, unconventional (or weird) office designs, and amazing freedom, flexibility and transparency, among other things EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION THE GOOGLE WAY Uncommon Yet Affordable, Amazing Perks and Benefits Just like other companies, Google offers the usual extrinsic benefits such as flex spending accounts, no-cost health and dental benefits, insurance, 401K plans, vacation packages and tuition reimbursements. However, Google is better known for some really distinctive and more than just attractive perks and benefits which just serve to show the very extreme lengths the company goes to to make its employees consistently happy. What follows are some examples of these remarkable perks and benefits. Reimbursement of up to $5000 to employees for legal expenses2 Maternity benefits of a maximum of 18 weeks off at about 100 percent pay. The father and mother of the newborn are given expenses of a maximum of $500 for take-out meals in the initial 3 months they spend at home with the baby (Take-Out Benefits). Financial support for adopting a child (Googles Adoption Assistance) On-site car wash, oil change, bike repair, dry cleaning, gym, massage therapy and hair stylist are available at the companys headquarters in Mountain View At the Googleplex, theres an onsite doctor and free fitness center and trainer and facility to wash clothes among other benefits Lunch and dinner is available free of charge, In addition, an assortment of delicious but healthy meals are available every day, prepared by gourmet chefs. Voice and Value At Google, democracy prevails with employees given a considerable voice. Here are some ways how. The company hosts employee forums on all Fridays where there is an examination of the 20 most asked questions. Employees can make use of any of a number of channels of expression to communicate their ideas and thoughts. Channels include Google+ conversations, a wide variety of surveys, Fixits (24 hour sprints wholly dedicated to fixing a specific problem), TGIF and even direct emails to any of the Google leaders. Googlegeist, the companys biggest survey seeks feedback on hundreds of issues and then employs volunteer employee teams all over the company to resolve the major problems. Employees are regularly surveyed about their managers. The results of the survey are used to publicly acknowledge the best managers and make them role models or teachers for the next year. The worst managers are provided with vigorous support and coaching, with the help of which 75 percent improve within a quarter. Transparency As Google is a company that considers its people to be its biggest asset, everything that can be shared, is shared. In this way, they are able to show their employees that they trust them with confidentiality and trust their judgement. After the first few weeks of every quarter, Googles Executive Chairman shares with all Googlers, practically the same material that Google shared with their Board of Directors at their most recent meeting. The material includes launch plans and product roadmaps in addition to team and employee OKRs (quarterly goals) so that all Googlers are aware of what fellow Googlers are working on. Following annual surveys of employees in which 90 percent of them participate, not only do the employees see the results of their own group, they also see those of all the other groups (privacy is protected). In addition, when the company takes action on the collective feedback from their employees, the action(s) taken is also shared with everyone. 30 minutes of a weekly all-hands meeting hosted by Googles co-founders and called TGIF are devoted to a Q and A session where almost anything can be debated or questioned from the founders attire to whether the company is proceeding along the right direction.Freedom over How and When Work is Completed One of Googles strongly held beliefs is that they can get amazing output from people by giving them freedom. Indeed, research by Sir Michael Marmot, Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health at the University College, London is proof of that fact. From research that he carried out over a period of 4 decades into the health of government workers in Great Britain, he found out the highest mortality and poorest well-being were consistently associated with employees who had the smallest degree of control over their work lives. Googles employees are allowed greater discretion on their hours of work and also on when they can go and have some fun whether it involves getting a massage, heading to the gym or just indulging in volleyball. In addition, the firm allows each of its employees to give 20 percent of his time (1 day every week) to doing anything they like. This can range from assisting with another project to even just sleeping. Anything that is ethical and lawful is okay with Google. Flexibility In this flat hierarchy organization, engineers have plenty of flexibility when it comes to selecting the projects they work on. The organization also encourages its staff to pursue companyassociated interests. In addition, instead of being trained by top management on the protocol for tasks, employees can approach tasks in their own unique ways. For example, employees are allowed to express themselves by scrawling on the walls. They can also arrive for work at any time they like, wear pajamas if they want or even bring their dog along. The relaxed, creative and fun environment psychologically benefits Googles employees while giving Google the benefit of a more motivated, dedicated and productive workforce. SOURCE: Luenendonk, 2019 QUESTION ONE [30] Reflect on the article above and critically discuss how Googles way of motivating staff may affect employee performance.