uh oh, what happened to my bank account?
so i happened to look over my finances this past weekend and i realized something: i'm broke. which is odd, because i had a bunch of liquid capital in my checking account last time i checked, and now all of a sudden i have nothing.
i realized the root problem was that google's relocation process requires the employee to pay all the expenses up front and then get reimbursed for them later. that means you have to cover an apartment hunting trip, your final relocation, lease termination fees and temporary housing expenses all in advance. not to mention that they don't pay out your signing bonus and relocation money until your first paycheck (which i haven't received yet). finally, add in the fact that i had to put down two months rent as a deposit for my new lease, and i'm flat broke.
on the plus side, this first paycheck is going to be huge... (which unfortunately means i'll probably end up getting taxed huge on it. doh!)
which led me to thinking about the "benefits" package at google. as i thought about it, i realized that most of the "benefits" actually seem to be thinly veiled timesavers to keep you at work. take for example: free lunch and dinner. now this one is an awesome value proposition for google; i'm not exactly sure why other companies don't also recognize the value and join in. consider this: it probably costs google a maximum of $3 per employee for lunch and $5 per employee for dinner. so that's only $8 per day, but if you think about the fact that the employee now probably only takes a half hour lunch break and also stays late working, the company actually realizes far more than an $8 gain in employee output. not to mention that most people think this is a great "benefit" and google gets a ton of positive press on it. in short, this "benefit" is designed benefit the company, not the employee.
then look at all these other fringe "benefits": on-site doctor, on-site dentist, on-site car washes... the list goes on and on with one similarity: every "benefit" is on-site so you never leave work. i'm not going to say this isn't convenient for us employees, but between all these devices designed to make us stay at work, they might as well just have dorms on campus that all employees are required to live in.
next, let's look at the health care benefit provided. arguably, this is the biggest benefit companies pay out for their employees. google definitely has a program that is on par with other companies in the industry; but since when does a company like google settle for being on par? microsoft's health care benefits shame google's relatively meager offering. for those of you who don't know, microsoft pays 100% of employees' premiums for a world-class PPO. everything you can possibly imagine is covered. the program has no co-pays on anything (including prescription drugs); you can self-refer to any doctor in the blue cross blue shield network, which pretty much means any licensed professional; and you can even get up to 24 hour-long massage sessions per year.
lastly, google demands employees that are 90th percentile material, so what's with the 50th percentile compensation? the packages would've been decent when the company was pre-IPO, but let's be honest here... a stock option with a strike price of $188 just doesn't have the same value as the ones of yesteryear. even microsoft adjusted their base salaries to 66th percentile years ago when it was clear that their stock options weren't as much a part of the total compensation package as it used to be. for a post-IPO company like google, it only seems fair that they adjust things accordingly.
all in all, despite these rants, i still chose to come to google. the work environment, projects and risk/reward equation were all more enticing than up in redmond. but just like when you look for apartments in SF, no option is ever perfect.
i realized the root problem was that google's relocation process requires the employee to pay all the expenses up front and then get reimbursed for them later. that means you have to cover an apartment hunting trip, your final relocation, lease termination fees and temporary housing expenses all in advance. not to mention that they don't pay out your signing bonus and relocation money until your first paycheck (which i haven't received yet). finally, add in the fact that i had to put down two months rent as a deposit for my new lease, and i'm flat broke.
on the plus side, this first paycheck is going to be huge... (which unfortunately means i'll probably end up getting taxed huge on it. doh!)
which led me to thinking about the "benefits" package at google. as i thought about it, i realized that most of the "benefits" actually seem to be thinly veiled timesavers to keep you at work. take for example: free lunch and dinner. now this one is an awesome value proposition for google; i'm not exactly sure why other companies don't also recognize the value and join in. consider this: it probably costs google a maximum of $3 per employee for lunch and $5 per employee for dinner. so that's only $8 per day, but if you think about the fact that the employee now probably only takes a half hour lunch break and also stays late working, the company actually realizes far more than an $8 gain in employee output. not to mention that most people think this is a great "benefit" and google gets a ton of positive press on it. in short, this "benefit" is designed benefit the company, not the employee.
then look at all these other fringe "benefits": on-site doctor, on-site dentist, on-site car washes... the list goes on and on with one similarity: every "benefit" is on-site so you never leave work. i'm not going to say this isn't convenient for us employees, but between all these devices designed to make us stay at work, they might as well just have dorms on campus that all employees are required to live in.
next, let's look at the health care benefit provided. arguably, this is the biggest benefit companies pay out for their employees. google definitely has a program that is on par with other companies in the industry; but since when does a company like google settle for being on par? microsoft's health care benefits shame google's relatively meager offering. for those of you who don't know, microsoft pays 100% of employees' premiums for a world-class PPO. everything you can possibly imagine is covered. the program has no co-pays on anything (including prescription drugs); you can self-refer to any doctor in the blue cross blue shield network, which pretty much means any licensed professional; and you can even get up to 24 hour-long massage sessions per year.
lastly, google demands employees that are 90th percentile material, so what's with the 50th percentile compensation? the packages would've been decent when the company was pre-IPO, but let's be honest here... a stock option with a strike price of $188 just doesn't have the same value as the ones of yesteryear. even microsoft adjusted their base salaries to 66th percentile years ago when it was clear that their stock options weren't as much a part of the total compensation package as it used to be. for a post-IPO company like google, it only seems fair that they adjust things accordingly.
all in all, despite these rants, i still chose to come to google. the work environment, projects and risk/reward equation were all more enticing than up in redmond. but just like when you look for apartments in SF, no option is ever perfect.
posted by markjen at 1/23/2005 11:06:00 PM
16 Comments:
Keep on blogging, this is very interesting.
I think Qualcomm also offers such fringe benefits to keep their employees working. Seems like you are not exactly jumping up and down to be in google.
i was previously at microsoft and enjoyed the benefits thoroughly. the peace of mind that comes with being able to walk into ANY hospital, doctor's office, dentist's office or pharmacy at any hour and know that it won't cost you a penny is wonderful.
it still didn't make up for the botched hiring program and job dissatisfaction that i went through, though... :)
You're gonna be fired, aren't you ?
Based on the quality of the food, I think you're pretty far off the mark when you say it costs Google only $3 per employee for lunch. But even if it's higher, it's still worth it.
Sure the benefits are "designed" to benefit the company. But I think it's ridiculous to say that the benefits are not "designed" to benefit the employee. Google has clearly recognized that by taking care of employees needs and making things convenient, the employee becomes happier and more efficient. So -everybody- benefits. Google saves you 30-60 minutes per day going out and finding (and paying for!) food, and you may or may not return some portion of that time to the company. I don't understand why this wouldn't be perceived as a good thing for an employee, even if it has some slightly negative side effects.
... maybe because benefits "designed" for employees are mostly illusions.
Mark Jen, you seem to be too smart for being a Google Employee and not enough docile - please, stay as you are !
I didn't know Google hired such accomplished whiners.
um... whoever is "brave" enough to call someone who posts frank & honest opinions about their employer an "accomplished whiner" should be brave enough to post non-anonymously.
- dave mcclure / 500hats.com
I work with CheckFree and they have a similar benefits model. Though I'm only contracting with them, many of their benefits are still extended to me. We actually have an onsite hotel. I've asked if that has ever caused issues...you know...hourly rentals and such. No answer to that yet. I don't think they take me seriously. There's also a track through our very lovely, wooded grounds. Nothing truly out of the ordinary in many large companies with the exception of the hotel.
Is the food good?
Did you ever have a job before... since when is the companies priorities its employees? Why the hell would a company pay for lunch solely for the benefit of its employees... were you drunk when you wrote this?
Your grasp of reality seems to be tenuous.
"...if you think about the fact that the employee now probably only takes a half hour lunch break and also stays late working, the company actually realizes far more than an $8 gain in employee output."
Not if the employee were as lazy as me! I would spend the other half hour of my lunch break on the Internet or doing nothing, and I would stick around for free dinner and just use up more of their electric bill. Google probably made the right decision in not hiring me. BTW, sorry to hear that you lost your job.
The face that Google got so upset over such information is obvious that something Mark said struck a nerve. Honestly, it seems as though the company felt threatened by Mark, and did not want to take the risk of him finding out any more.
As far as the benefits, something is up. I mean, take a step back and look at this scene as though you were watching it on TV. Doesn't this seem more like some kinda movie or something with all of the stuff you get free? It is nice, but it is creepy as well.
Think about this: A large company makes its money through semi-illegitimate means...they need employees...to keep employees from talking they need them happy...so they act like your best friend.
Here's where the movie comes in...A reporter notices this is a little fishy, and goes in to interview some employees and try to see what is up. The reporter knows a bit too much, and then he is missing. The employees will cover, because it would be wrong to betray their best friend.
Man, I think I just wrote a script for a movie...too bad it has already been done!
Think what you will, just look at all the facts. I am getting more suspicious of Google every day.
Seems like I am hearing a lot of anti-corporate sentiment here. Obvious to me that none of you have ever taken the risk of being a business owner with employees. I keep hearing socialistspeak -- the evil employer is trying to do it to the employee! Having been on both sides of the coin, being an employer is much more difficult. A business needs to focus on making money (profit) or it risks going down the toilet, along with thousands of jobs. It's much easier to be the employee who not only gets a market wage, but added benefits for health, life, dental, etc.
Anyone who wants to piss on their employer -- I say you should hit the road and find yourself another gig and spare your fellow employees from listening to your violin. Nobody likes a whiner, complainer at work. Google sounds like a great place to work with lots of great bennies. My take -- Marc Jen doesn't belong there and Google recognized that.
pull your neck in and grow up.
support those that support you. life's much easier and you'll get a lot further, dude.
tyke
Cost of the food may only be $3. What about the peoples' salaries that work there? What about the cost of the space that it takes up? Yes, it may work out that workers stay a little later, work a little longer. Yes, said employees don't have to pay for their food.
Does anyone bring their significant other to Google's Restaurant for a nice quiet dinner? Cause that would be funny.
Mike
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