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As Christmas Bonus, Google Hands Out "Dogfood"
Posted by
kdawson
on Mon Dec 22, 2008 07:49 PM
from the meaty-bits-with-gravy dept.
from the meaty-bits-with-gravy dept.
theodp writes "You know times are tough when the best place to work in America replaces holiday bonuses with a request for unpaid labor. Blaming the economic crisis, Google management has canceled the traditional cash holiday bonus — reportedly as much as $20K-$30K per Googler — and substituted an unlocked Google Android cell phone, retail price $400. An accompanying email calls for employees to celebrate the 'chance for us to once again dogfood a product and make it even better!'" Update: 12/23 01:09 GMT by KD : A reader pointed out that comments to the article note a couple of inaccuracies: the Android phone being offered is an unlocked dev model, which goes for $400; and the reporter may have confused holiday bonuses with performance bonuses. The former have traditionally been in the range of $1,000, according to two comments.
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This just in.. (Score:5, Funny)
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Yeah, stop complaining, I'd work at google for an android phone :D
Google are you watching? It must sure be better, more fun and interesting than sitting here :D
Re:This just in.. (Score:5, Insightful)
Yeah, stop complaining, I'd work at google for an android phone :D
Google are you watching? It must sure be better, more fun and interesting than sitting here :D
No kidding. I wish my employer did something for Christmas. Last year, it was a steak dinner and 50% of my paycheck as a bonus. Not exactly a huge haul--but it's nice they gave me something.
This year however, times are tough. No Christmas dinner/party, and no bonus--which isn't a big deal, because they owe me nothing in exchange for my work except a paycheck.
So the employees should be glad Google was a compassionate enough company to give them anything at all.
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Re:This just in.. (Score:4, Informative)
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Re:This just in.. (Score:5, Informative)
This year however, times are tough. No Christmas dinner/party, and no bonus--which isn't a big deal, because they owe me nothing in exchange for my work except a paycheck.
Unfortunately, there's a whole bunch of us who work for companies that DO owe us something in exchange for work called a year-end bonus. It's calculated as part of compensation on top of base, and some of us take a cut in base compensation on the promise of that bonus. It's part of your negotiated overall compensation package. Getting screwed out of it can be a really big hit for some of us.
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Re:This just in.. (Score:5, Funny)
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Re:This just in.. (Score:5, Interesting)
You naysayers and pessimists! How about instead looking around and seeing a company that still gives a Christmas bonus to it's employees - and congratulate them. A nice shiny new cellphone that you can do anything with is still a nice gift. Yes, it might not be as good as getting a few grand, but looking around at the financial state of the world at the moment, getting a phone might be a heck of a lot better than getting shit-canned as so many banking employees are looking at right now.
In other news, how many people mocking this gift today are actually getting something BETTER given to them as a Christmas bonus?
The company I currently work for combines a short term incentive plan/bonus into the package, and yes, the bonus can be easily around 15K per year - but this is part of the package when you sign up. Apart from that, other companies that I have worked for have given out the following:
1) A $7 fruit cake.
2) A nice christmas party with around $50 bartab for each person.
3) A cruise on the harbour with a very nice dinner payed for by the company.
4) Nothing.
Looking back on those, I wouldn't have minded getting a (by all accounts) pretty decent phone.
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Re:This just in.. (Score:5, Insightful)
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Re:This just in.. (Score:5, Insightful)
that may not be the interest of the actual situation, but Valleywag certainly seems to be trying to portray Google as mistreating their employees with statements like:
why the hell is /. even posting stories from Vallywag [wikipedia.org] anyway? they're a freaking tabloid written by the silicon valley analog of paparazzi reporters. this is supposed to be news for nerds, not gossip rag for "fashionable" venture capitalists. if i wanted to read unsubstantiated rumors or find out about who Kevin Rose is dating, i'll visit digg.
slashdot needs to go back to posting stories on technology and real tech/science issues, not sensationalist drivel from Vallywag or, worse yet, The Sun. please don't prove to the world that geeks are just as mentally vacuous as the britney-spears-fawning, paris-hilton-obsessed, access-hollywood-watching masses.
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Re:This just in.. (Score:4, Informative)
Unless they're given a check on top of this, it isn't a free phone- this is legally income, so they'll be taxed on it.
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Re:This just in.. (Score:4, Insightful)
I would think the tax accounting of the Android "giveaway" would depend on how it's done. If Google still "owns" the phone, they get the tax benefit of the asset depreciation and might even be able to count it as an R&D cost as well. It should be easier to get away with this by handing out the unlocked "developer" models like they did. The employee still gets a nice shiny leading-edge phone to use; they just can't re-gift it to someone else. Once it's depreciated, the employee gets ownership of the phone. As a bonus, it might help Google boost their year-end units-shipped count for marketing purposes, and they get free word-of-mouth advertising from people seeing their employees use the new phones. Sounds like a win-win if its doable, and if it is, whoever thought of it probably earned their yearly salary that day.
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Re:This just in.. (Score:4, Informative)
From TFA:
Q: Are there tax implications to this?
Google is covering the taxes for this gift; there will be an extra payroll run before the end of the year to cover the taxes. If you have further payroll or HR-related questions about this gift please e-mail [address removed].
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Re:This just in.. (Score:4, Interesting)
I got a cheap company emblazoned sweatshirt for my Xmas bonus (only I haven't gotten it yet, some delay in shipping, apparently.) The last two years' sweatshirts fell apart after only a few washings.
That after going over and above my job duties to the point where I was told to slow down. Apparently my company doesn't like people actually doing their jobs to greater than the description. Fucks with the budget paperwork. We can't spend money on such extravagant things as new hallway heaters and emergency lighting.
I work in housing apartment maintenance - for subsidized housing - and most of our tenants are college students, and too many of them aren't very appreciative of how hard a lot of us grunts work to keep their living places warm and comfortable. Be lucky you have what you do.
We don't get paid much, for jack of all trades (plumbing, electrical, carpentry, sheetrock, cleaning, snow removal, etc) work; ten bucks an hour out here even for more than a decade's experience - so all you students and others living in sub housing out there, show some appreciation for the people who keep your places up for you. 24/7 on-call means that if someone lights a grease fire while cooking the bacon, or someone's kid puts a whole roll of toilet paper in the toilet and floods the bathroom, we have to be there, holiday or not.
So give us a chocolate, or something ;-D ... and fer chrissakes don't call us on Xmas day because you left your keys laying on the floor at some bar the night before! We'll be there, but we'll be a bit irritated ;)
Merry Christmas!
SB
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Re:This just in.. (Score:5, Insightful)
I got a pink slip a few months back, lol.
Glad my house and car are paid for !
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eBay? (Score:5, Funny)
Wonder how many of these will end up on eBay.
Re:eBay? Nope. Google management forbids it! (Score:5, Informative)
Information Week has an internal email [informationweek.com] sent by Google management:
Q: Can I resell my phone?
Googlers should not resell any item given to them by Google. Please review our Personal Transactions policy [removed].
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Re:eBay? Nope. Google management forbids it! (Score:5, Funny)
A: Hell yes!
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Re: (Score:3, Funny)
its NOT cute and your employees are not children.
'googlers'. sigh.
That's why I call all my employees minions!
(My wife prefers the title "Mistress of Minions".)
Re:the term 'googlers' annoys the hell out of me (Score:4, Informative)
I get the impression I'm either missing an incredibly funny joke, or I hang out online with a bunch of losers. ...
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Re:the term 'googlers' annoys the hell out of me (Score:5, Interesting)
'cute pet names' for employees went out the window years ago.
You've never been to a strip club haven't you?
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Re:the term 'googlers' annoys the hell out of me (Score:4, Insightful)
Have you ever worked for a large corporation? Usually the employees themselves invent the terms, and they're mostly used to distinguish between permanent employees of the company and all the contractors, partners, customers, etc. who are working there.
Are you similarly outraged when people speak of Texans or New Yorkers?
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Best place to work in America? (Score:4, Funny)
...is the UK. Here, a $180-dollar value bonus is worth considerably more than it was last year!
Re:Best place to work in America? (Score:5, Funny)
a $180-dollar value bonus
Note: when you put the $ sign before 180, you pronounce it "one hundred eighty dollars". You don't need the redundant "-dollar" [sic] after.
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unlocked phone $400 (Score:3, Informative)
Re:unlocked phone $400 (Score:4, Insightful)
The value of a device you cannot sell and are not interested in using is $0.
Pretty big difference compared to a $1000 holiday bonus.
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who cares (Score:3, Insightful)
Is this suppose to be a "don't be evil" article or something? Thousands of people have become unemployed and you people are bitching about a Christmas bonus, pathetic.
Re:who cares (Score:5, Insightful)
Honestly, Google doesn't really have to worry about the economy.
Uh. Yeah. They do.
Unless people stop getting internet access, Google has a rather steady source of income via ads and no one but the businesses pay a cent (and really, advertising is only going to slightly increase with a slowing economy as more people want to get more customers).
1) The public doesn't give Google any money.
2) The businesses that buy advertising don't automatically have the money to increase advertising budgets in a 'slowing economy'.
Google isn't like the car manufacturers in which consumers voluntarily have to pay a large sum to get a car and taking a large amount of money to make the car.
Google's customer ARE the businesses.
Google isn't in bad financial shape.
It only lost 60% of its value this year. If you think that isn't having a MAJOR impact on it you are on crack. Yeah, its a long way from bankrupt, and I think we all agree it will weather this relatively well, but still... a REALLY big chunk of that ad revenue came from companies that are suffering badly right now... from AIG and Bear Stearns to Ford and GM. Their revenue is definitely shrinking right now.
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Re:who cares (Score:5, Interesting)
but in a slowing economy, advertising budgets are going to be one of the last to be completely eliminated in hopes of attracting more customers.
I don't think you've ever worked in an advertising-related field. Advertising is often the "canary in the coalmine" - when things are going bad, advertising is often the first expense to be slashed. When an economy is recovering, advertising is often the first to benefit.
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Oversimplify.. (Score:3, Informative)
How can they extract revenue from companies if those companies source of income dry up? Or even if they don't, a lot of companies are sort of going into hibernation, keeping core staff to maintain their curent efforts, but holding off on growth sorts of moves. I think companies facing diminishing income due to the economic state aren't believing that increased advertising budget is going to be the answer right now.
Makes me wonder if the number of google ads presented to people has decreased or will decrea
Re:Oversimplify.. (Score:4, Insightful)
Smart companies increase marketing spend during recession. It's a cheap way to grab marketshare.
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Re:Oversimplify.. (Score:4, Insightful)
Smart companies will especially focus on marketing spend that they can measure closely, to track the return on investment.
If you've got a marketing channel that provably makes you a dollar in profit for every seventy-five cents spent, why would you ever stop putting money into it, as long as you've got the cash to spend?
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Re:who cares (Score:4, Informative)
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Re:who cares (Score:5, Insightful)
But there is better places to spend the money than christmas bonuses.
Don't be ridiculous. Is your other name Ebenezer Scrooge?
I personally do not get a Christmas Bonus (although I have other benefits), but I can see why a Christmas Bonus is good. Relatively speaking the "small" gift from a company to their employees can pay for itself. Increased loyalty. Increased work. The feeling that you belong and are valued. These things money cannot buy. A Christmas Bonus, however, can often go a long way towards it. It says "Yep, we've all done well. We're still in business and we can still pay you. Thanks for the work throughout the year". Employee profits. Company profits. It's a win-win situation.
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google has been cutting back all year (Score:5, Interesting)
Google has been cutting back on perks all year. They haven't had any layoffs yet, but only because they've been canceling contractors. There's a reasonably chance they'll have to reduce employee head count next year.
Errr... Someplace has cheap Andorid phones! (Score:5, Informative)
and substituted an unlocked Google Android cell phone, retail price $180.
Everywhere I have seen Google's unlocked Android phone it was for $399. Not $180 which is the price of one that is locked to T-Mobile's network and a 2 year contract. http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/05/sim-hardware-unlocked-android-dev-phone-1-surfaces-for-399/ [engadget.com] http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Mobile-and-Wireless/Google-Releases-SIMunlocked-Android-Phone-For-399/ [eweek.com] http://code.google.com/android/dev-devices.html [google.com] all give the $399 price point.
Bonus (Score:3, Interesting)
reportedly as much as $20K-$30K per Googler
Hey. I google therefore I am a googler. Where is my $30K bonus?
Seriously, have Google in the past given Christmas bonuses worth that much? I think I am in the wrong line of work...
Re:Bonus (Score:4, Insightful)
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It had to be said (Score:5, Funny)
Hey. If any of you are looking for any last-minute gift ideas for me, I have one. I'd like Frank Shirley, my boss, right here tonight. I want him brought from his happy holiday slumber over there on Melody Lane with all the other rich people and I want him brought right here, with a big ribbon on his head, and I want to look him straight in the eye and I want to tell him what a cheap, lying, no-good, rotten, fore-fleshing, low-life, snake-licking, dirt-eating, inbred, overstuffed, ignorant, blood-sucking, dog-kissing, brainless, dickless, hopeless, heartless, fat-ass, bug-eyed, stiff-legged, spotty-lipped, worm-headed sack of monkey shit he is. Hallelujah. Holy shit. Where's the Tylenol?
Briar Rabbit (Score:5, Insightful)
I know it's no $20-$30k, but I wouldn't be upset over an unlocked smartphone. It's a hell of a lot better than many past employers gave me.
Kudos to Valleywag for taking a non-issue and trying so valiantly to spin it negative. And a tip of the hat to the submitter for managing to paraphrase without getting in the way of the spin.
Public relations filter is needed (Score:4, Insightful)
This story demonstrates the need for some type of public relations filter on Slashdot stories. Too often, a company's PR statements are taken as fact. Here, perhaps the people who run google may have been wanting to end yearly bonuses for a long time. Fearing employee backlash, they needed a plausible cover story. The economy is easy to blame. Look, I know that it's entirely possible their motivations are accurately stated in the press release. I contend, however, that it is equally likely that the economy gives Google the opportunity to change its bonus program without suspicion. Given past violations of the "don't be evil" rule, this wouldn't be surprising.
I think.. (Score:5, Informative)
A *lot* of companies used the media mass hysteria as cover to take such actions, long before many of them had felt any measurable impact at all. I.e. companies that still reported profit still said the economy impact was such they simply had to take drastic measures.
Of course, it's all a negative feedback loop. It was bad enough as was, but with the media saying "great depression" over and over again, consumer confidence took a dive and companies started either panicking or taking advantage, which certainly doesn't help matters.
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I'd still take a job with them. (Score:4, Insightful)
Hey, if google wanted to hire me, I'd totally take it.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
If you're in IT, start looking for another gig. It seems (from anecdotal evidence from several people) that IT hasn't been that battered by the recession.
Love it... (Score:4, Interesting)
Typical of the post dot-com environment. People need to start looking at what the phrase total compensation means, and take it to mean "salary + bonuses + stock" Take your cash incentives (salary, bonuses) add in HR benefits (health/dental/optical) plus all the other discounted benefits (daycare, gyms, educational reimbursement etc..) and then the stock purchase plans (either awarded options or ESPP) and 401k.
Well, Google's stock isn't doing too well this year (from $716 down to $300), so there are quite a few people that are thinking, "The stock needs to triple before my options are above water...". Now if the choice from senior management is either no bonuses, or layoffs; most people will take no bonus rather than no job.
I do think giving a phone is just a form of lip service and is a slap in the face. Can you imagine Cisco giving out Linksys routers instead of bonuses? Apple giving out $200 worth of iTunes songs? HomeDepot giving out a free Ryobi drill set?
What really blows my mind is that most people choose their phone because of features/functionality and service provider. The actual cost of the phone itself usually isn't a factor since the service providers often give them away at a severely discounted price.
Re:Love it... (Score:5, Insightful)
Yeah, I really hate it when employers give out stuff at Christmas. That really sucks. How evil.
Oh, wait, no it doesn't. A $400 phone is a slap in the face? Wow. All of your examples sound like a nice thank you from an employer who's not actually obligated to give you anything.
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I, for one, am a happy Googler (Score:4, Interesting)
Personally, I am very happy to receive the dev G1 phone... It wasn't something I would have purchased for myself (tough economic times ahead yadda yadda yadda) nor was it something that I would have asked anyone else to get for me. It gives me the opportunity to play with it and maybe develop a few stupid little applications, just for fun: It will be a much appreciated toy for Christmas.
Will it replace my old phone? Don't know yet. It is a lot bulkier than my Samsung Trace. For now, I'm giving it a test-drive.
In any case, this is the most valuable Christmas bonus that I have received in recent years - so I kinda feel that anyone complaining about it are kinda being ungrateful. I am used to getting perhaps a company-branded backpack, shot glass, towel or USB pen drive as a Christmas bonus from my previous employer so this phone gift is positively extravagant by comparison. Even considering that I occasionally worked long hours and was key in developing a few features which formed the foundation of my then-CEO's promise, I appreciated the small token gifts and I still enjoy using them today.
I never expected, nor did I ever receive, a large bonus from my previous employer.
I never expected any bonus from Google this year, especially considering the current economy.
Just my 2c opinion..
Re:Just as I said earlier (Score:4, Insightful)
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Re:Just as I said earlier (Score:4, Insightful)
I rather doubt Google signed any contracts stating that each employee is due a HUGE bonus at the end of the year. It's a "bonus".
"We made a shit-pot of money this year, and you contributed a lot. Here's part of the shit-pot, thanks."
"We didn't make a shit-pot of money this year, you contributed a lot though. Here's a nice new phone, maybe next year if you and several others write something really cool with it, we'll have a shit-pot of money to give you part of."
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Re: (Score:3, Informative)
The thing is many google employees/job candidates probably factor in the expected Christmas bonus when deciding to work for Google.
Google's salaries are reportedly lower than most competitors, but they make the difference with bonuses and other perks.
Now if the bonus disappear, its going to be easier for googlers to do a fair comparaison...
Re:dogfood? (Score:4, Informative)
"eating your own dog food" is an old tech industry expression, it means the company uses their own products internally, as a testbed and to build up expertise.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eat_one's_own_dog_food [wikipedia.org]
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