CASE STUDY:

Googleemployees are more productive, and morelikely to join - and stay at - Google."

HE HAPPY WORK-HHAPPY PEOPLE STAY AROUND

PERHAPS THE MOST INTERNA-TIONALLY RECOGNISED ANDMOST FREOUENTLY CITED CASESTUDY FOR\uWtfA4 HAS TO BE INTERNETGIANT, GOOGLE. The company isfamous for providing just about everythingit can to try and keep its workers happy,including free food, play areas and equip-ment, flexible working hours and freedomto work on "pet projects".

CARING STIMULATES COGNI-IVE ENGAGEMEN

At the company's East Coast facility inChelsea, Manhattan, which occupies anentire city block of converted industrialspace, "people analytics" manager Dr PeterWelle points out that it's not a free-for-allapproach: every aspect has been studiedand engineered for the greatest benefit.For example, in the open kitchen areas,where free food, snacks and beverages areavailable, the healthier choices are placedin a more prominent, accessible location.

For example, while sugary, caffeinatedbeverages are available at the back of thefridge, bottled waters and juices are imme-diately visible. "Our research shows thatpeople consume 40% more water if that'sthe first thing they see," Dr Welle said.

According to spokesperson Julie Taylorof Google's Jo'burg office, the companytakes a holistic view of employee health,including physical, emotional financial andsocial health. "We solve people problemslike our engineers solve computer scienceproblems - with data and a willingnessto try new things and think outside thebox. Investing in Googlers drives busi-ness outcomes that we care about: innova-tion, retention. And we know that happier

When it comes to health, the companysubscribes to a philosophy of preventa-tive care. Taylor says: "Employees havedifferent needs at different points in theirlifecycle, and we take a holistic, integratedapproach." This has had the added bene-fit of keeping overall healthcare costs atthe company far lower than the industryaverage. These benefits include a takeoutallowance for new parents, financial coun-selling, cooking classes, smoking cessationprogrammes, fiu clinics and sports leagues.

Local Googler Deshen Naidoo putsit this way: "Google places a large focuson Googler well-being; making Googlershealthier, more resilient, and overall, bet-ter people. There are many great benefitsand resources in place that give Googlerschoice based on whatever their goals, lifesituation or passions may be."

Although the company policy doesmention "doing the right thing", themotive isn't entirely altruistic. "Happy andhealthy employees have great by-products,including productivity and innovation,"states Taylor, "And we have the data toprove it."

Google aims to provide an environmentthat fosters innovation - spaces are createdthat encourage spontaneous collaboration,such as the micro kitchens where peopleinevitably end up chatting and sharingideas. The culture is based on transpar-ency. At weekly "town hall meetings" anyemployee can pose any question to seniormanagement, and communication chan-nels are designed to be open and accessible.

The Internet company encouragesinnovation by fostering the idea of "intra-preneurship" — getting people to "think andact like owners and entrepreneurs... beyondjust their core roles", while still enjoyingthe company's support.

HAPPINESS HELPS BOOSTPROFITABILITYHow has all this happiness helpedGoogle? The NASDAQ^listed globalcompany with close on 54 000 employeesmade $50.18bn in 2012, of which $10.74bnwas profit. It listed assets of $93.80bn forthe same year. Of course Google's prod-ucts, services and global reach contributedmagnificently to those figures, but all theresearch shows that it's the people whowork the magic. This is what a company assmart as Google realises and why it makessuch an extraordinary investment in help-ing people to be happy by creating environ-ments that are conducive to well-being andsatisfaction. •

hange in the world more than you ever thought possible.FINWEEK 4 JULY 2013 13

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