Google Inc.

is showing one reason why it’s such a wildly successful internet company: It’s
using money the way it should be used—to motivate people in a meaningful way.

Last month, two teams of Google employees were handed $12 million of free company
shares, with more so-called Founders’ Awards planned for other work groups. By giving the
stock, the Mountain View, California-based Google is seeking to reward, motivate and retain
employees. ‘‘The Founders’ Award is designed to give extraordinary rewards for
extraordinary team accomplishments,’’ Google co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page said
in their first letter to shareholders. ‘‘A general rule of thumb is that the team accomplished
something that created enormous value for Google.’’

In my graduate psychology training, I was taught that for money to motivate, an employee
must: understand what performance is being measured and rewarded; have substantial
impact on the performance measure chosen; and be given the reward quickly after his
performance has been assessed. That’s the in-school thinking. The out-of-school reality for
most companies is: An employee may know what performance is being measured, yet he has
no serious input on how it’s being done, and frequently the reward is given out late,
undermining the link between performance and that reward.

Why the wrong way?

So why don’t more companies do things the right way, or the Google way, with rewards
targeted at smaller team performance and delivered at just the right time? First, we have the
bureaucratic inertia of many human resources departments, where passing out rewards to
some people and not to others is simply an untidy way of doing business. And giving rewards
at other than year-end compounds the paperwork load.

Second, although the usual way is for underlings to envy their superiors’ higher pay, doing
special things for special teams at special times, as Google has done, turns things upside
down. Now it’s superiors envying subordinates.

I was a consultant to Mobil Corp. (then an independent company with its headquarters in
New York) in the mid-1970s. Shortly after the 1973 Israeli-Arab war and the subsequent oil
embargo, the price of gasoline soared and rationing was imposed.
Suddenly, the hunt was on all over the world for more oil reserves (an activity that isn’t
unfamiliar today). Mobil was having trouble keeping its good geologists, so it offered the best
of them a ‘‘retention award.’’ The geologist was told that if he stayed until age 65, he would
receive $1 million on top of his pension. In 1974, $1 million was nothing to sneeze at.

Unforgettable

The plan worked superbly, until the company’s top executives noted that they weren’t
getting retention awards. Arguing that they needed to be retained just as much as some rock
hound, they promptly moved to remedy this grave injustice. Eventually, the program was
dropped because too many people were being offered retention awards.

During my 20-year consulting career, I rarely encountered a company like Google, one that
was serious about motivating employees. Yet there’s one exception I’ll always remember. It
involved an outstanding senior executive who was a workaholic. This executive almost never
took a vacation and could be seen laboring in the office every Saturday and a lot of Sundays.
Understandably, his marriage was headed for the rocks.

On top of being a workaholic, the executive was a bit of a miser. He lived quite modestly,
drove an old car and put almost every bit of his disposable income into investments.
(Another bad omen for his marriage.)

His company’s CEO, reasoning that the issue wasn’t so much motivation as retaining the
executive and helping him have a tranquil home life, came upon an ingenious strategy.

The Ritz and Hermes

He called in the executive, complimented him effusively on the fantastic work he had been
doing and told him he was giving him a bonus on the spot (the spot being months before the
end of the company’s fiscal year, when bonuses were normally handed out). In contrast to
most companies’ bonuses, this one wasn’t in cash. It consisted of:
• A round trip to Paris on the Concorde for the employee and his wife.

• A suite at the Ritz for a week.

• A $20,000 gift certificate for the executive’s wife at Hermes.

• And a cash payment to handle the executive’s taxes on all those goodies.

Some time later, the CEO told me that his executive was more wedded than ever—to the
company and his wife. For her part, she seemed to be encouraging him to work even harder
for the next trip to Paris.

That box

All this illustrates that for money to motivate, companies need to think more out of that old
box, if not blow it up. And the message should be drummed home that it’s perfectly
acceptable for someone to receive a special award that isn’t conferred on that person’s boss
or bosses’ boss. Companies usually do reward bosses over underlings, yet there is something
refreshing about a person making more than his boss, even if it only happens once in a while.
Just think of the talk that will be taking place around the water cooler.

—Graef Crystal / Bloomberg

Benefits

“Talented people are attracted to Google because we empower them to change the world.
We are focused on providing an environment where hard-working people are rewarded for
their contributions to Google and for making the world a better place.”

In the same way Google puts users first when it comes to online services, Google puts
employees first when it comes to daily life in its offices. We strive to be innovative and
unique in all services we provide both to customers and employees, including our benefits
and perks offerings. Google works to improve life for every Googler by providing an award-
winning array of benefits and perks that enable you to get on with the things you love to do –
both in and out of the office.

Health and Wellness*

Medical Insurance

The Group Mediclaim Program provides competitive, pre-defined insurance coverage to

Google India employees and their dependents for expenses related to hospitalization due to
illness, disease or injury.

On-site Nurse

At our Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Gurgaon offices we have an on-site nurse to take care of
our employees.

Wellness Programs

Google provides a variety of health and financial wellness programs throughout the year.

EAP – Employee Assistance Program

Services for employees and their dependents include free short-term counseling, legal
consultations, financial counseling, and more.
Life and AD&D Insurance

Automatic coverage at 4 times annual base salary or 10 lakhs whichever is greater.

Short Term & Long Term Disability

4 times annual Base Salary + Target bonus is payable depending upon the nature of the injury
and the degree of incapacity.

Business Travel Accident Insurance

Automatic coverage at 2 times annual salary.

Retirement and savings*

Gratuity

Gratuity is payable on completion of a minimum period of 4.8 years at a stretch with Google.
The amount of Gratuity is calculated as per the last average salary drawn and the number of
years served in Google.

Time Away from Work*

Vacation

20 days vacation leave in a year.

Sick Leave

12 paid sick leaves taken as appropriate.

Holidays
We have 12 holidays that include mandatory holidays and festival holidays as defined by the
government.

Maternity Benefits

Up to 12 weeks off at approximately 100% pay, eligible for an additional 8 weeks if employed
at Google for more than 1 year.

Parental Leave (for non-primary caregivers)

Up to 4 weeks off at approximately 100% take-home pay

Benefits and Perks … beyond the basics*

Tuition Reimbursement

We’ll help you pursue further education that’s relevant to what you do. You must receive
grades of "B" or better. Tuition reimbursement is up to Rs. 150,000 per calendar year or per
course as applicable.

Employee Referral Program

Good people know other good people. Some of our best employees have been hired through
referrals. Google encourages you to recommend candidates for opportunities here and will
award you a bonus if your referral accepts our offer. We pay out these bonuses a month after
the referral starts at Google.

Child Care

We look at providing support in taking care of your little ones when you are at work!! Our
Hyderabad office partners with nearby day care centers.

Gift Matching Program

Google matches contributions of up to 3000 USD per year from eligible employees to non-
profit organizations. Bolstering employee contributions to worthy causes with matching gifts
doesn't just mean helping hundreds of organizations, both locally and globally; it’s also a
tangible expression. We want Googlers to get involved – and the company is right behind
you.

Adoption Assistance

Google assists our employees by offering financial assistance in the adoption of a child. We’ll
reimburse you towards legal expenses, adoption agencies or other adoption professional
fees. Parental leave and take-out benefit also apply.

Benefits and Perks … way beyond the basics*

Food

Hungry? Check out our free lunch and dinner – our experienced chefs create a wide variety of
healthy and delicious meals every day. Got the munchies? Google also offers snacks to help
satisfy you in between meals.

Transport

Google is pleased to provide its employees free transportation by cab to and from their place
of residence.

Other On-Site Services

At Google you'll even find on-site massage therapy, gym, and fitness classes!

More great stuff

Discounts, holiday parties, team off-sites, and so much more!

* Benefits vary depending on location and are subject to change without notice. Please check
with Human Resources at your specific location for more information.

Top 10 Reasons to Work at Google

1. Lend a helping hand. With millions of visitors every month, Google has become an
essential part of everyday life – like a good friend – connecting people with the
information they need to live great lives.
2. Life is beautiful. Being a part of something that matters and working on products in
which you can believe is remarkably fulfilling.
3. Appreciation is the best motivation, so we’ve created a fun and inspiring
workspace you’ll be glad to be a part of, including on-site doctor; massage and yoga;
professional development opportunities; shoreline running trails; and plenty of snacks
to get you through the day.
4. Work and play are not mutually exclusive. It is possible to code and pass the puck
at the same time.
5. We love our employees, and we want them to know it. Google offers a variety of
benefits, including a choice of medical programs, company-matched 401(k), stock
options, maternity and paternity leave, and much more.
6. Innovation is our bloodline. Even the best technology can be improved. We see
endless opportunity to create even more relevant, more useful, and faster products for
our users. Google is the technology leader in organizing the world’s information.
7. Good company everywhere you look. Googlers range from former neurosurgeons,
CEOs, and U.S. puzzle champions to alligator wrestlers and Marines. No matter what
their backgrounds, Googlers make for interesting cube mates.
8. Uniting the world, one user at a time. People in every country and every language
use our products. As such we think, act, and work globally – just our little contribution
to making the world a better place.
9. Boldly go where no one has gone before. There are hundreds of challenges yet to
solve. Your creative ideas matter here and are worth exploring. You’ll have the
opportunity to develop innovative new products that millions of people will find useful.
10. There is such a thing as a free lunch after all. In fact we have them every day:
healthy, yummy, and made with love.