Newsletter
Most people today believe that Google and other major tech companies have the best working conditions and hours. And although this perception holds true to some extent due to the reports of employees enjoying flexible work hours, another report from CNBC has shed light on the actual culture and work hours of Google employees.
How much do Googlers work?
The report, which cited an internal work memo where an employee asked the human resource executive to reorganize their work schedule, opting for fewer hours spread across more days, showcased that Google employees generally adhere to a traditional 9-to-5 workday, with many often exceeding the standard eight hours. Additionally, the memo also highlights that being 120% Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) for a regular full-time job at Google is the norm, making a compressed 100% schedule seem impractical.
However, this report undoubtedly sparked discussions in the tech community, especially in light of a previous report where a Google software engineer claimed to work only one hour a day while earning a $150,000 salary.
Google’s response
Responding to these discussions, Courtenay Mencini, a spokesperson for Google, clarified that while employees have the flexibility to request adjusted schedules, the company evaluates these requests based on roles and teams. This is because there are instances, similar to every company, where an employee has to work 40 hours, or sometimes more than that, to meet their deadlines and complete projects.
Furthermore, the company also highlighted that despite their appeal, these compressed workloads may not always align with the team’s schedule.
Google is cutting back on perks
After attracting talent over the past decade with promises of benefits and perks, Google has been gradually reducing these offerings and altering its workforce dynamics. This decision is the result of a slowing economy, which has also resulted in a slew of layoffs.