Google, in Mountain view, California, was rated the number one place to work for in 2007. Google’s culture is very exciting and rewarding. Even people, who don’t work at Google, want to see what it’s like to work there. Google has 11 gourmet cafeterias that have their employees craving to eat on a daily basis. Stacy Sullivan, the HR director enjoys the Irish oatmeal with fresh berries at their Plymouth Rock Cafe. Joshua Bloch, a Java expert loves to eat their roast quail at their Cafi Seven.
Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google, tries to keep a healthy lifestyle at Google but with food sources no more than 150 feet away it is difficult. The food is so good, every time at a board meeting, Art Levinson, an executive at Genentech stays at Google until 10:00 p. m. to get a free meal. The food is just one of many perks of becoming an employee at Google. There is a place where you can drop off your laundry, get an oil change and get your car washed. In addition, there is a fitness center and a place to get your haircut. Google even has a pool table in their employee lounge.
Furthermore, Google has five doctors on site that gives free checkups to their employees. If you are a new employee and want to meet some new people, there is a TGIF party every week where people can meet. Google’s employees seem to be the happy-go-lucky people on the outside, but type A on their inside. Of course, it is not all fun and games at Google. Google’s executives would like to hear any ideas that their employees may have and would like to discuss it. For instance, there is a pajama day at Google but not all employees are open to be involved in it.
So a group of workers dressed up in tuxedos during that day to rebel against it. With an income over 10 billion dollars, it is not hard for Google to have such a lavish lifestyle at work. Because of this type of work environment, their employees are so committed; they sometimes don’t want to go home. For example, there is a team of ten people working on a secret project in a conference room where music is playing to make work more relaxing. This is usually done around 5:00-7:00 in the evening. “Google’s mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.
“(Google) Not only Google and its employees do this very successfully but they enjoy doing it. (Lashinsky) Genentech is another company that has an academic like atmosphere and ranks the second best place to work for. They also hire bright, intelligent and energetic people in the market and encourage their employees to speak freely. Of course, their contribution to their organization is rewarded by stock options, paid sabbatical programs, supreme health coverage and an onsite day care center for your children.
Genentech uses minimum guidelines and rules which allows their employees to express themselves freely. Genentech is a team working environment that shares great rewards and dedication in getting things done. Another key component of Genentech’s culture is diversity. Their work environment is where a diversified range of skills, knowledge and individual performance is valued and integrated into their strategy. As a result, they are quite successful and employees are loyal and committed. (Boyer) The Walt Disney Company is another company that is successful with an interesting culture and a winning strategy.
Disneyland is known as “The happiest place on earth. ” The Disney Company is a business of feelings that is filled with joy and laughter. Any presence of insincerity, rudeness, boredom or any type of unhappy feeling can damage a sale. Disney’s employees are well-screened and carefully picked. Disneyland ride operators are young white males and females with straight teeth and good health. Men must be groomed with no facial hair and well dressed with their shoes polished and the women are only allowed to wear a small amount of makeup.
The ride operators are under specific guidelines and procedures that must be followed with little interaction with their guests. If a guest has a problem at one of their theme parks, they are told to call city hall. Their duties consist of performing live narrations, customer control and to operate the transportation vehicles in a proper manner. A part of Disney’s image is the look and feel of the employees and the Disneyland culture itself. If you ever been to Disney, you may have noticed how happy and cheerful the workers are. One of the goals of Disney’s employees is to lift up their guests’ spirits.
During the employees’ off time, there are many activities for the employees to participate in, such as a softball game, volleyball game, canoe racing, and company picnic. Most of the young, college students that work at Disney live in low budget apartments that reside around the park. So when the sun goes down, some employees may get together and throw a party. Therefore, it is not unusual to see one employee marrying another employee. The dating scene is quite common on Disney’s grounds. Disney’s employees follow three standard rules: (Staw, pgs. 294-305)
