Comments on: A slightly dissenting view of the cool and groovy Google office http://stevendkrause.com/2008/03/14/a-slightly-dissenting-view-of-the-cool-and-groovy-google-office/ School, work, life, and everything else Tue, 07 Oct 2008 18:00:40 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.2 By: Annette http://stevendkrause.com/2008/03/14/a-slightly-dissenting-view-of-the-cool-and-groovy-google-office/#comment-214 Annette Sat, 15 Mar 2008 15:07:10 +0000 http://stevendkrause.com/2008/03/14/a-slightly-dissenting-view-of-the-cool-and-groovy-google-office/#comment-214 When I was a 22-year-old journalist working, most often, 70+ hour weeks I would have LOVED this space and would have practically lived in the office. I pulled "all-nighters" as a journalist all the time, going home for three hours to sleep a little bit and take shower. If the newsroom had had a shower and a sofa, I just would have stayed there. Now that I have a child, my first response to the video was "Where's the day care center?" -- It is kind of surprising that such a, um, friendly company would not prominently feature things like day care centers and private rooms for moms to nurse in, etc., but perhaps that's the point -- they want your co-workers to be your family. When I was a 22-year-old journalist working, most often, 70+ hour weeks I would have LOVED this space and would have practically lived in the office. I pulled “all-nighters” as a journalist all the time, going home for three hours to sleep a little bit and take shower. If the newsroom had had a shower and a sofa, I just would have stayed there.

Now that I have a child, my first response to the video was “Where’s the day care center?” — It is kind of surprising that such a, um, friendly company would not prominently feature things like day care centers and private rooms for moms to nurse in, etc., but perhaps that’s the point — they want your co-workers to be your family.

]]> By: Christopher Weuve http://stevendkrause.com/2008/03/14/a-slightly-dissenting-view-of-the-cool-and-groovy-google-office/#comment-210 Christopher Weuve Sat, 15 Mar 2008 03:48:53 +0000 http://stevendkrause.com/2008/03/14/a-slightly-dissenting-view-of-the-cool-and-groovy-google-office/#comment-210 As someone who used to work in that world (although not Google), I can say that no, they don't really want someone with outside of work lives. As the founder of Cisco once said, "dedication *starts* at a hundred hours a week." (He wasn't kidding.) Places like Google are all about making work as fun and painless as possible, so that you will do as much work as possible, and so you won't leave for a better offer elsewhere. (The fun part's important -- it helps keep people from getting burnt out.) And it IS fun. Remember also that they also have a tendency to provide a larger chunk of their compensation in stock options. More work = more money. BTW, the prison analogy is a bad one -- prisons make no effort to make you want to be there (it sort of undermines the point, after all). As someone who used to work in that world (although not Google), I can say that no, they don’t really want someone with outside of work lives. As the founder of Cisco once said, “dedication *starts* at a hundred hours a week.” (He wasn’t kidding.)

Places like Google are all about making work as fun and painless as possible, so that you will do as much work as possible, and so you won’t leave for a better offer elsewhere. (The fun part’s important — it helps keep people from getting burnt out.) And it IS fun.

Remember also that they also have a tendency to provide a larger chunk of their compensation in stock options. More work = more money.

BTW, the prison analogy is a bad one — prisons make no effort to make you want to be there (it sort of undermines the point, after all).

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