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Google Businesses The Internet Christmas Cheer The Almighty Buck

As Christmas Bonus, Google Hands Out "Dogfood" 366

Posted by kdawson 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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As Christmas Bonus, Google Hands Out "Dogfood" More

As Christmas Bonus, Google Hands Out "Dogfood"

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  • This just in.. (Score:5, Funny)

    by RightSaidFred99 ( 874576 ) on Monday December 22, 2008 @07:51PM (#26207137)
    Laws of economics apply to Google, despite last 7 years of them denying tech bubble had already burst.

    • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

      by aliquis ( 678370 )

      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)

        by darkpixel2k ( 623900 ) on Tuesday December 23, 2008 @12:37AM (#26209041)

        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.

        • Re:This just in.. (Score:4, Informative)

          by Blimey85 ( 609949 ) on Tuesday December 23, 2008 @06:58AM (#26210331)
          I think the point everyone seems to be forgetting is Google's promise that when their plans for taking over the world are complete, their employees deaths will be quick and painless while the rest of us will be made to suffer for quite some time.

        • Re:This just in.. (Score:5, Informative)

          by mopower70 ( 250015 ) on Tuesday December 23, 2008 @10:48AM (#26211917) Homepage

          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.

    • Re:This just in.. (Score:5, Interesting)

      by Fluffeh ( 1273756 ) on Monday December 22, 2008 @08:28PM (#26207515)
      I totally agree!

      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.

      • Re:This just in.. (Score:5, Insightful)

        by timeOday ( 582209 ) on Monday December 22, 2008 @08:36PM (#26207565)
        I don't think the interest of this story is that googlers have it so bad; rather, that the recession is touching everybody, even at the most high-flying companies. It's one of those formulaic "how is hot topic X affecting notable party Y" stories.

        • Re:This just in.. (Score:5, Insightful)

          by lysergic.acid ( 845423 ) on Tuesday December 23, 2008 @12:51AM (#26209095) Homepage

          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:

          This is what has become of the company that was once deemed the best place in the world to work: Cancelled bonuses and unpaid labor.

          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.

      • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

        by Kleen13 ( 1006327 )
        I got a $25.00 gift card for a local grocery store, and was surprised by the gesture. We're hurting right now and to think they gave that to 380 employees was impressive to me. Go google! (am I supposed to use a G for google?)

      • Re:This just in.. (Score:4, Informative)

        by AuMatar ( 183847 ) on Monday December 22, 2008 @09:37PM (#26207953)

        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.

        • Re:This just in.. (Score:4, Insightful)

          by ppanon ( 16583 ) on Monday December 22, 2008 @10:05PM (#26208143) Homepage Journal
          I certainly don't think tech companies include in compensation the value of the phones (and associated phone plans) they make their techs carry as part of their job. If an engineer at Ford or GM is given new car models to test out in day-to-day use, does it get counted as income? Or can it get counted as research?

          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.

      • Re:This just in.. (Score:4, Interesting)

        by shadowbearer ( 554144 ) on Monday December 22, 2008 @11:40PM (#26208681) Homepage Journal

          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

         

  • eBay? (Score:5, Funny)

    by acb ( 2797 ) on Monday December 22, 2008 @07:51PM (#26207139) Homepage

    Wonder how many of these will end up on eBay.

  • Best place to work in America? (Score:4, Funny)

    by hobbit ( 5915 ) on Monday December 22, 2008 @07:54PM (#26207169)

    ...is the UK. Here, a $180-dollar value bonus is worth considerably more than it was last year!

  • unlocked phone $400 (Score:3, Informative)

    by pthreadunixman ( 1370403 ) on Monday December 22, 2008 @07:54PM (#26207171)
    Just to be pedantic, the retail price of an unlocked G1 is $400 not $150.

  • who cares (Score:3, Insightful)

    by LingNoi ( 1066278 ) on Monday December 22, 2008 @07:55PM (#26207177)

    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: (Score:2, Troll)

      by Darkness404 ( 1287218 )
      Honestly, Google doesn't really have to worry about the economy. 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). 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. While Google does have

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by aliquis ( 678370 )

        But there is better places to spend the money than christmas bonuses.

        • Re:who cares (Score:5, Insightful)

          by Psychotria ( 953670 ) on Monday December 22, 2008 @08:43PM (#26207629)

          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.

      • Re:who cares (Score:5, Insightful)

        by vux984 ( 928602 ) on Monday December 22, 2008 @08:10PM (#26207353)

        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.

      • Oversimplify.. (Score:3, Informative)

        by Junta ( 36770 )

        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:who cares (Score:4, Informative)

        by nine-times ( 778537 ) <nine.times@gmail.com> on Monday December 22, 2008 @09:43PM (#26207993) Homepage
        Google operates by selling advertising. In a bad economy, lots of companies will cut their advertising budget. They aren't impervious to bad economic times.
    • Who is complaining? Most people seem to think it is a great idea.

    • No, it's an article that escaped from Idle.

  • google has been cutting back all year (Score:5, Interesting)

    by larry bagina ( 561269 ) on Monday December 22, 2008 @07:56PM (#26207185) Journal

    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.

    • Look, the problem is Google is a tech company and so they hired a large amount of people to work on a few projects, namely StreetView and Andorid. As StreetView is largely completed, there is no need for Google to keep the employees or contractors they hired for StreetView. Android is similarly mostly complete, it will take bugfixes and will need features added, but with the large amount of third-party applications Android is as good, or will be as good if not better as the iPhone, Windows Mobile, Symbian,

  • Errr... Someplace has cheap Andorid phones! (Score:5, Informative)

    by Darkness404 ( 1287218 ) on Monday December 22, 2008 @07:56PM (#26207187)

    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)

    by Psychotria ( 953670 ) on Monday December 22, 2008 @07:59PM (#26207211)

    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...

  • It had to be said (Score:5, Funny)

    by AgentUSA ( 251620 ) on Monday December 22, 2008 @08:00PM (#26207215)

    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?

  • Maybe they can put the whole thing down as an R&D project and get a tax writeoff? Ebenezer Scrooge would have been proud.

  • Briar Rabbit (Score:5, Insightful)

    by _Sprocket_ ( 42527 ) on Monday December 22, 2008 @08:01PM (#26207233)

    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.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by JDevers ( 83155 )

      Seriously, I just got a ten dollar bonus that had fucking taxes taken out of it, so it was like $9.10. The worst thing is that I have worked jobs that didn't get any sort of bonus, but those were crappy jobs. This is a good job, I make about $40/hour and work about 45 hours per week on average. I don't know why they even bother with the stupid bonuses. I have to work Christmas day and get holiday pay then at $60/hour so I will make my bonus in like 10 minutes. Who the hell knows.

  • My company hasn't given a Christmas bonus in several years. I weep for the guys at Google, I really do.

    How many slashdotters work for a company that gives a Christmas bonus? Maybe that should be a poll question.

    On the flip side, we've let no one go, not even contractors. Maybe not having Christmas bonuses is the reason we can afford a full staff even during an economic down turn. Maybe Google will come back wiser for it.

    • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

      by droopycom ( 470921 )

      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...

    • My company hasn't given a Christmas bonus in several years. I weep for the guys at Google, I really do. How many slashdotters work for a company that gives a Christmas bonus? Maybe that should be a poll question.

      I've worked at my company since 12/2002 (I was 24). Besides that year and last year, every year we've had a *Christmas* bonus. It was specifically called that; same with the *Christmas* party. We aren't big enough to worry about having to exclude Christians in the name of diversity. Last year right before the bonuses were given out they announced a change where the money that we would have gotten in our bonuses would now be a raise (although we still had received raises in previous years in addition to a Ch

  • Public relations filter is needed (Score:4, Insightful)

    by wattersa ( 629338 ) <andrew@andrewwatters.com> on Monday December 22, 2008 @08:03PM (#26207269) Homepage

    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)

      by Junta ( 36770 ) on Monday December 22, 2008 @08:12PM (#26207365)

      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.

  • Old Google:

    Here's some money! You're awesome! We're awesome!

    New Google:

    Here's some (FREE!) company branded merchandise! We'd love you to improve it so we can make more money! We're awesome!"

  • Ok, dog food! Poor google employees are getting a free 400 $us phone for Christmas! Not only that, but they allegedly used to get 30K in the past. This is exploitation!
  • My 110lbs mutt is eating me out of house and home.

  • I'd still take a job with them. (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Junior J. Junior III ( 192702 ) on Monday December 22, 2008 @08:08PM (#26207329) Homepage

    Hey, if google wanted to hire me, I'd totally take it.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by LoRdTAW ( 99712 )

      At this rate I know programmers who would work for actual dog food.

    • Trust me, you wouldn't, unless you were unemployed and had no other prospects. I almost went to work for Google several years ago, but I would've had to take a $65K/yr pay cut and basically live at the Googleplex (you're not forced, but it's fairly indoctrinated that you better be there most of the time). Nuts to that.

      • Yeah, well I don't even make $65k/year, and the building I work in now is a grey cinder block rectangle with peeling paint and a parking lot that resembles the surface of the moon. And for the last three years my company has given us a $25 gift card for our holiday bonus, I don't get any stock options, and our cafeteria is halfway decent at best.

        • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

          by TooMuchToDo ( 882796 )

          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.

          • Good call, but in my region the economy sucks, and with real estate being in a huge depression I have no hope of relocating without taking a giant loss on my house. :/

            It might still be worth it though, if I can find a really good job.

  • Hello Android is the only one of these which isn't out yet. Hell, if you order one tomorrow, one-day shipping will get it there before Christmas!

  • Cry me a river. (Score:2, Insightful)

    by v3lut ( 123906 )

    My Christmas bonus was a reduction in pay.

    My ex's Christmas bonus was a reduction in work days.

    My friend's Christmas bonus was a pink slip.

    You'll forgive me if I fail to care that Google game their employees a smaller than expected bonus.

  • The article headline is unnecessarily sensationalistic. I read it and was like, woah, Google is giving actual dog food as a bonus?! And then I found out actually it's a pretty cool device that costs over £400 after shipping and tax - which is about 72 hours work on the minimum wage. Cry me a river - I don't know of any other company even bothering with Christmas bonuses this year.

    • Re:dogfood? (Score:4, Informative)

      by Clover_Kicker ( 20761 ) <clover_kicker@yahoo.com> on Monday December 22, 2008 @08:38PM (#26207589)

      "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]

      • It's not just an expression, but a truly valuable thing...

        The first (interesting) company I worked for, did some boring contracting work for an oil company on DOS (years ago). They hated the DOS environment, so wrote some tools to make it more powerful; this became their bread and butter. They made their own dogfood; ate it, and lived it. All the developers used the product(s) day in, and day out. And the company did well.

        It was a powerful lesson, and I saw it as a good measure of how successful a produ

  • Love it... (Score:4, Interesting)

    by HockeyPuck ( 141947 ) on Monday December 22, 2008 @08:28PM (#26207511)

    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)

      by ceoyoyo ( 59147 ) on Monday December 22, 2008 @08:37PM (#26207567)

      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.

      • Agreed,

        A $400 phone and keeping the same salary would be a hell of a lot better than getting the pink slip...

    • What really blows my mind is that most people choose their phone because of features/functionality and service provider.

      Hate to state the obvious, but if you are already working for Google, chances are that you have little in common with "most people". As for the service provider thing, one would suppose that an unlocked phone can work with the major service providers.

  • How many would like to see Wall St Execs [theonion.com] take their bonus in the form of dog food?

  • Am I the only one who sees the christmas bonus as a bizarre ritual? Since I'm self employed, I haven't had one in about a decade (I think I got a gift certificate for a turkey or something insane), but I've never felt like I was owed a christmas bonus. Sure, I cashed in whatever it was, but I never felt appreciative, nor did I ever feel like I was owed anything.

    Back when I worked for a company, my attitude was that I do a service in exchange for money. It's not an emotional relationship, it's business, pure

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by carlzum ( 832868 )
      Personally, I think bonuses make sense for organizations and employees. For the organization, it's discretionary compensation that doesn't compound like an annual percentage raise, and provides incentive for a relatively low cost to salary ratio. For employees, a Christmas bonus is free money when money is tight and makes them feel like they're reaping the benefits of the company's success. Of course, employees will begin to feel like it's an entitlement over time, but amid layoffs and economic gloom I susp

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Eskarel ( 565631 )

      The thing is, most people can't work that way. You spend an awful lot of your life at work, and most people like to think that their employer appreciates the work they do.

      That appreciation(when sincere) generally has a greater impact on workplace morale than would a higher salary and is, generally speaking, cheaper for the employer over the long term.

      I highly doubt that google paid their employees 20-30k as a Christmas bonus(that's a huge amount for anything not tied to some sort of performance metric and w

  • Interesting that as Google cried cash-poor to employees ("current economic crisis requires us to be more conservative about how we spend our money"), it was filing a (paper) Form 40-APP [sec.gov] with the SEC asking for an exemption from the Investment Company Act of 1940. Google explained that a past 40-APP SEC filing [blogspot.com] was necessary so the company could realize 'sustainable competitive advantages' by investing its cash stash in something less conservative than US Government securities.

  • I, for one, am a happy Googler (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Antony T Curtis ( 89990 ) on Tuesday December 23, 2008 @12:04PM (#26212911) Homepage Journal

    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..

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