GOOGLE REACTS

On the face of it, Google would seem to be the last company that one
would expect to have an employee retention problem. Google usually
shows up in Best Employers to Work for lists; it’s famous for full
benefits, from dry-cleaning to free Web-enabled transportation from San
Francisco to great pensions; it offers great stock options; and as a fast-
growing company, it usually has many job applicants.

So when its employee turnover began creeping up around 2010,

Google’s human resource team had to decide what to do. Part of the
problem is that as attractive as Google is to work for, Silicon Valley is
filled with attractive employers, from Apple to Facebook. One of
Google’s first steps was to boost compensation. It gave all 23,000
Google employees a 10% raise, plus a $1,000 tax-free holiday bonus.
But still, Google management knew that pay was just part of the
solution. It had to take other steps.

Questions

1. Without doing any further research than what you learned in this
chapter, what other steps would you suggest Google take to improve
employee retention?

2. Was there any information in previous chapters of this book that

would help to illustrate other steps Google took to improve
retention?