Google Perks Are Great, But They All Mean Business 289
megazoid81 writes "While there have been complaints of late, Google was recently named the best place to work according to the widely read annual Forbes survey, in its first appearance on the list. The plethora of perks at Google does make you wonder though what kind of hours the company expects its employees to keep. In the context of Google's perks, a Knowledge@Wharton article explains that there are two kinds of workers: segmentors and integrators. Segmentors want to maintain a strict separation between work and home while integrators don't mind mixing the two. The piece posits that segmentors might actually mind too many perks at their workplace and find their commitment eroding. Does Google have a disproportionate number of integrators in its workforce? What kind of worker are you — segmentor or integrator?"
Non-issue (Score:5, Insightful)
Clock out time, that's it. Turn the machine off, leave the building, and forget about it until 9am. If your business can't handle that, they obviously need more staff.
Too simple (Score:5, Insightful)
At the same time I really, _really_ like my work, so I tend to mull things over on my off time, and idly reading up on background stuff I find interesting (and that incidentally is really helpful for work).
There is a real difference between wanting to be at work for long hours, and idly reflecting on interesting problems even when off duty.
Segmentor (Score:4, Insightful)
Worries me (Score:5, Insightful)
I've gotta say, each there is a story about working at Google, everyone seems to talk about how horrible the number of perks are because it must mean they expect you to work crazy hours, and I wonder how jaded we've become?
How about this as an idea, maybe the perks aren't meant to make people work crazy hours but instead just make good business sense?
And on top of all of this, it makes their employees really happy, and gets them really good press!
I, for one, would be more than happy to talk to a recruiter at Google
Re:Segmentor (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Non-issue (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:The thing about programming/design (Score:4, Insightful)
Meanwhile, a proper balance between work and personal life ensures that you don't burn yourself out or get exhausted with what you're doing. After all, people can't work 24/7 and remain creative. The mind really does need rest.
Re:Non-issue (Score:3, Insightful)
I wish you could convince my employer of that. We get the speech, "We don't want your job to be your life", but that doesn't keep me from having to stay until 1 AM the day before (well, technically, the day of) a holiday.
It isn't a question of which, so much as.. Which industry, and job title you carry. The daily newspaper industry, especially for anybody involved in production, is a demanding mistress. While it is a great idea to be able to clock out at 5 or 6 no matter what the job, sometimes, it just doesn't work that way.
Re:Segmentor (Score:3, Insightful)
Jobs are transient, in this day and age usually highly transient.
Re:Non-issue (Score:2, Insightful)
integrating sleep and pleasure (Score:3, Insightful)
*Groan* (Score:4, Insightful)
Seriously, this is just one aspect of the US work culture: the company you work for simply assumes that you are going to put in long hours and work until late at night or early in the morning. This, in my opinion, is simply wrong: the longer you work, the less productive you are and he more exhausted you are as well.
Not to mention that putting in long hours takes a very heavy toll on your family life, if you are married and have children. So Google perks are great, but they simply (a) represent something wrong in U.S. culture and (b) reflect the fact that a lot of people at Google may be young and single adults, who can afford to spend a lot of time at the office.
Personally, instead of free massage and thirteen different restaurant in-house, I'd rather be able to have flexible hours to take care of my kids, telecommute for a couple of hours a day -- I am sure I would be a lot more productive working from my home from 11:00pm until 1:00am, or even have more paid vacation days. I don't really care about in-house restaurants or nerf tournaments. But I guess that's just me.
Re:Non-issue (Score:5, Insightful)
Same here...Amen.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoy my work....but, I only work to have money to support my free time to do what I wish (travel, buy toys, computers, women, homebrewing...etc). If I won the lottery tomorrow, I'd never work again a day in my life.
Now...that's not to say that if I didn't have to work, I'd not do some things that might appear to be work or that might earn me extra $$'s....but, that is stuff I do for myself for fun.
When the door hits me on the ass on the way out of work....my thoughts and concerns for work end THERE. I do not give it a 2nd thought in general, till I cross the threshold the next day. The worksite only has my thoughts when they pay me. I contract....so, this is the setup. I care about my work, I try my best to please the customer, and will go the extra mile when needed to get things going. But, never for free.
Like I said, I enjoy my work like many here do...but, I don't understand how so many people make the work so much of their lives, and are actually willing to sacrifice their free time to spend with families, and friends doing things that are fun and good for the soul. People who go into deep depression and the like when they get get go, are sad. I'm not saying I'm thrilled when it has happened...but, I don't feel I lost a part of ME when it happened...my main concern is finding the next gig to keep the money flowing. It is, after all...just business, and putting a face other than that on it, IMHO, is unhealthy and unrealistic. The company sees you as nothing more than an asset (or liability)....you need to see them in the same light.
But, I've realized that life IS short. Once you cross that age of realizing that you are no longer bulletproof, that you will slow down a bit...you see that spending time on you, for you is very important. There is so much to do and see in the world....and it ain't gonna get done sitting in a 3 wall cube 24/7. There is such thing as a life out there......get one.
I don't think many people will be on their deathbeds regretting that they didn't get more OT in...especially if it is unpaid.
Re:Segmentor (Score:5, Insightful)
I don't think one should consider a job the same sort of commitment as a marriage. A job is an involvement, not a commitment. Like a breakfast of ham and eggs: the chicken is involved, the pig is committed.
Re:Children at work (Score:4, Insightful)
I bring virtually none of my personal life to work, save for the occasional call I take from my mother, and even then it's on a personal cell and kept to a minimum. No family member or friend has my desk or cell number (and the desk number is printed incorrectly in the directory, something I've not corrected in three years, so they wouldn't be able to call and discover it), nor my e-mail address. A couple of them have seen the physical location where I work because I've pointed it out driving by, but I doubt they remember where it is. At work, only HR and my direct manager have my home numbers. I have no photos or personal documents at work aside from certification information on the wall (the latter only because it quiets a few particular people), nor do I keep personal files on any system. If I were to walk in and find out that I no longer had a job, I would be able to put down my work cell and my badge, pick up my keys and personal cell, take down the certs and put them under my arm, and walk out the door holding everything that is mine.
On top of all of that, personal time is mine. When I walk out the door, I'm on my time. At lunch, I do what I please -- which is usually eating a small lunch and taking a 15-minute nap in the car. I answer e-mails only if a response is urgently needed, and the general culture is to never call someone once they've left the building unless it's critical, and there's an unspoken agreement that if someone is in the break room or a particular area outside, they don't get bothered unless it's critical, so I have few concerns about that.
I am not antisocial, and get along well with everyone at work, having lunch with one or more of them once or twice a week. Some people bring in all manner of decorations for their cubicles, with photos and even the odd painting. I wallpaper mine with functional security posters and TCP/IP diagrams. It's simply a choice of where to draw the line, and how heavily it is drawn.
Re:Non-issue (Score:5, Insightful)
I'm glad you're taking time out of your busy work day to post on Slashdot and espouse how being a segmentor is The Only Way (tm).
Where's the +1 Irony mod?
Re:Non-issue (Score:4, Insightful)
Clock out time, that's it. Turn the machine off, leave the building, and forget about it until 9am. If your business can't handle that, they obviously need more staff.
Also, it's not impossible for your higher order needs to be fulfilled by work. In fact, I would say it is the most likely place where self-actualization will occur. Compartmentalizing your life and writing off work as dead time (as far as high order needs is concerned) seems extremely unhealthy. Maybe you need a better job.
Re:Hate freaking buz words. (Score:5, Insightful)
There are two kinds of workplace analysts- segmentors and integrators:
Solving the wrong problem. (Score:3, Insightful)
That's not "don't mix work and home", that's "don't work for crazy people".
Re:Non-issue (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Mixing work+home == "you're fired" (Score:5, Insightful)
I read your last two posts on this topic and I see a lot of fear and defensiveness, but absolutely no JOY. What's the point? You say your job is a means to an end, but it's also probably one half of your waking weekday hours!
Add in the time you might spend decompressing, venting, preparing, and discussing your job dissatisfaction at home, with friends, on on forums like this... and there's the proof that you HAVE integrated your job into your personal life. But in a negative way. This adds up. So in the "end", is it worth it?
It is NOT normal to fear your all your fellow workers as "would-be attackers" and be forced to behave as a "vanilla" or "bland" person who is not really you. If you condition yourself to behave like someone else for 7.5 hours per day, you WILL be changed by it in all your off-work time.
Re:Children are the bane of telecommuting (Score:2, Insightful)
Why not? It already happens!!
I've heard it more than a few time "Hey, I need to leave a little early, Sally has a fever at school" or some excuse like that from people with kids. Nobody seems to bat an eye at crap like that. But, can I ever leave for something inane like "Hey, I need to leave..take my dog to the groomers" or something. No..that is frowned upon. People with kids constantly take off or come in late or leave early for some kid reason....and it is ok, the single and/or childless worker is naturally expected to pick up the slack.
So..what's wrong with having it the other way around for a bit to balance things out?
Re: OT and Deathbeds (Score:4, Insightful)