Case Study: Google Name: Gohar Hayat, Haris Habib, Maham Akbar and Zia Ullah Khan Class:

MBA II/ A Course: Human Resource Management Summary: The case is about one of the leading companies of the world i.e. Google. The case starts with talking about how Google has been ranked among the top 100 companies of the world and how is it is one of the most preferred employers of the world. One of the reasons for Google being the most preferred choice when it comes to work is because of the numerous benefits that it provides to its employees. These benefits are as follow: 1. A free shuttle equipped with Wi-Fi to pick and drop employees 2. Unlimited sick days 3. Annual all expense paid ski trips 4. Free meals 5. 5 on campus doctors 6. $2000 bonus on referring a new hire 7. Free flu shots 8. Giant lap pool 9. On site oil changes and car wash 10. And other benefits such as on site laundry service, ping pong. Foosball, lectures form famous peoples etc The global recession affected all of the companies worldwide and Google was no exception, in the time of the recession Google made some minor change in the benefits it offered such as reduced cafeteria time. Google has a very extra ordinary set of employees these people may look happy go lucky form outside but each individual is highly competent and goal oriented inside. Googles share certain set of traits, they tend to be brilliant, team oriented and driven. They are also super hardworking. Historically Google would only higher people who have graduated from Harvard, MIT and Stanford with a GPA of minimum 3.7. Google would hire lone wolfs and would always prefer people who are team oriented. Google want people who have growth potential and are able to grow at the speed at which the company is growing. The starting salaries are very competitive. Like every company Google to is facing some problems. One of the problems that Google is facing is its people operations. Working at Google is a 24 hours job, it is even seen that engineers pulling all nighters to get their project complete, for this reason Google has to provide such set of benefits that its employees are able to maintain healthy work life balance

Another problem that Google is facing is retaining its employees. The Google provides its employees stock options so there have been cases where people have turned millionaire over night and then have left company either to pursue their interests or start of their own business. Another challenge is the competitive and tense environment that Google has. Google is a very number oriented company so before any project is presented to the top management for approval the presenter has to thoroughly do his/ her homework as the top management is very busy and does to have a lot of time so the presenter has to present and convince them in the limited time he/ she is given Another challenge that Google faces is to create right culture and treat everyone equally worldwide. Google wants to give equal compensation to its employee worldwide but is not possible because of the difference in policies and taxes. Google is expanding so fast that it want employees who are able to adapt and work in different places Lastly Google also has a very tough and long selection procedure. The person applying of the job has to be extraordinary academically and also has to pass through a series of comprehensive interviews before being offered a job. There was time that one of the founder of Google would hions mself interview the candidate before offering him the job but as now Google has grown worldwide it is not possible but still each candidates qualification are checked by the founder.

Solutions to Case Questions Ans 1: In reference to Chapter 4 of the book, The heart of job description is the short listing of the Responsibilities and duties of the job. Moreover, by doing this survey it would be helpful for Google to note down the Job Specification that would be a good tool when screening prospect employees. Therefore, we suggest that doing this survey will be a good way in order to know the traits of the employees that are already performing the job and leading Google to a success. This way Google would know the right kind of people to hire and would save their time and cost of interviewing each and every candidate who have applied for the job. Job specification sheet will have the duties and responsibilities of the job, the education needed for a particular job, the skills needed and the job related behavior need to perform the job. Matching these traits from the survey with the resumes of the job candidates will surely help Google screen and select the best candidates for the job.

Ans 2: First thing I will put in my presentation is that the Benefits provided by Google to its employees outweighs the benefits reaped by Google from its employees by providing these benefits. The job satisfaction leads to job involvement of employees. This will in turn bring our more effort put in by employees. When Google provides these benefits it is providing a work-life balance to its employees. This will improve their performance and will positively affect the profitability of the company. Employees look satisfied by the benefits provided by the company and this itself keep them motivated. One employee even said that he wouldnt want to leave Google until he would want to start his own business. This clearly shows that Google is heading in right direction and it is these benefits that give them a competitive edge in the business.

Ans 3: I would defend the benefits by first starting off with how much these employees are important for Google and how much they have played their part in Google success. I would start with stating the profit that Google has been making that I would mention the project that played the role in achieving these profits and then I would tell the people that how much effort googlers put into making and implementing these projects how they spend night at office trying to get things done and how this is effecting the work life balance and then I would mention to them that if Google does not provide them these benefits than there would be high chances that the company would face high turnover rate and would start losing its work force which is its competitive edge

Ans 4: If I had to higher the brightest minds I would start off by organizing a competition in which students from different universities would participate, these student would then be divided into teams and given real time projects and then they would be asked to come up with ideas and present. This way I would be able to check their ability to work in team and also their talent Than those who clear this round would than come to round two where I would than give them individual projects this way I would be able to check individuals capability and than those who clear this would clear this round would then be called individual interviews where each candidate would be interviewed by almost every manager and then each manager would select his/her internee and then these people would be offered internship. During internship these candidates would face actual work stress and pressure and than those who clear this internship would then be offered job

Ans 5: Google will have to consider a lot of factors when it tries to transfer its culture, reward systems and operations abroad. Firstly, the company will have to identify the important aspects of the working culture or the corporate culture that prevail in that particular country, for instance some rewards or benefits might not be that well appreciated in a country as compared to another

one. In that case rewards and benefits in line with that country's prevailing culture will have to be established in order to properly motivate the employees and also to avoid and work-life conflicts. Furthermore, legal and employment related rules and regulations will have to be considered by the company in order to avoid any legal actions or lawsuits against the company by the employees or other companies. Taxation is also an important factor to be kept in mind when deciding upon the salaries of the employees and then making them accordingly. Next, the psychographics and the lifestyles of the employees and the culture need to be identified as well since Google not only looks at high grades but also employees with diverse range of interests who love to work, have fun and can get along with others easily in a group or teamwork.

Ans 6: The activities that I would suggest during the new-employee orientation are that initially the company should precisely explain the required job to the employee and the how, where, when and why questions should be answered regarding it. Then the employee should be given a chance to meet with his colleagues in an informal manner for instance at a lunch in the company's own cafeteria to interact with them and to inquire about the job from those who are already doing it for example learning teams. Furthermore, there should be Q & A session from the employees who are excited and want to know about the job from their superiors, colleagues etc. This way they will feel that they have been involved and their queries have been answered. Guided note taking can be very useful in which the employees are given a worksheet with partial sentences needing completion and fill-in-the-blank statements. In addition, to make the orientation process more lively and fun, the employers should plan out games, quizzes and word puzzles that will not only provide the employees with essential learning of the job but will also help their superiors assess their skills in team working, answering challenging questions and may also provide a cue towards how the employees works in stress and in nick of time.