Business

Google CEO addresses employee concerns about loss of integrity and honesty


Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai gestures during a session at the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, on January 22, 2020.

FABRICE COFFRINI | AFP | beautiful pictures

Google Employees are urging executives to revive a part of the company’s culture that, in the past, made it such a desirable place to work: candor.

At a year-end joint meeting, held earlier this month, the CEO Sundar Pichai read aloud one of the most common questions asked by employees, based on the company’s internal system called Dory, which allows employees to post questions and endorse the questions they want addressed.

“It seems that the answers given to Dory are becoming more and more like a lawyer with canned phrases or statements, seemingly ignoring the questions being asked,” Pichai said, reading Dory’s post. “Do we plan to bring sincerity, honesty, humility and straightforwardness back to Dory’s answer or continue down the bureaucratic path?”

The question received 673 votes. CNBC obtained a copy of the question and heard Pichai’s audio.

“I understand the sentiment behind the question,” Pichai said, at the start of his lengthy reply. “I think there are reasons for some of this,” he added later.

Google’s cultural upheaval has been a major theme in recent years, as the company has raised Silicon Valley standards with its open, fun office atmosphere and free-spirited discussions. to the current realities that come with being one of the largest businesses in the world. Emotions uplifted and trust declined after employees learned that company leaders had been accused of skip sex ring allegations and follow quietly resolved by the government.

Leader of Google then cracked about internal discussions and lay off some employees who are critical of company policies and are involved in organizing disgruntled workers. Workers told CNBC in 2019, that the company had become “unrecognizable.”

In his response to a recent meeting, Pichai acknowledged the challenges of communicating with the global workforce during the pandemic.

“We’re clearly communicating on a massive scale – with over 150,000 people and especially through the pandemic, doing it all remotely,” Pichai said. “I’ve noticed more off-screen readers during the pandemic, and so I think some of that contributes to the responses that seem boxed in.”

Google, like most other companies, is grappling with how to stay connected with employees, who have largely been forced to work remotely since March 2020. Google has been aggressive. than most of the tech industry with the goal of reopening physical offices in the new year, even though it’s recent push back its return date in light of the recent increase in cases from the omicron variant.

Google’s hands-on TGIF meetings, in which Pichai and other executives tackle topics of interest to Dory, have also changed dramatically. Now they are all managed via video.

Co-Founder Larry’s page and Sergey Brin started TGIFs in 1999 at Google’s campus in Mountain View, California, as a forum for employees to regularly express frustrations and discuss topics openly with management. That became a talent attraction and a model for many tech startups that followed.

In 2019, Pichai announced that he was to replace weekly TGIF meetings with monthly meetups and smaller town halls to discuss workplace issues.

Pichai says virtual meetings create a whole new wrinkle.

“I think people are always thrilled to respond in this context,” he said. “Sometimes, I think people have zero tolerance for small mistakes. I think people realize that answers can be coded anywhere, including outside of the company. I think that makes Everyone has to be very careful.”

Pichai went on to say that “trust and trust must go hand in hand,” alluding to employees’ leaks to people outside the company.

“You have to work really hard to maintain it at scale,” he said.

Pichai says that over the past two years, the company has been trying to organize around smaller teams, which can be better for authentic communication.

“I think it is extremely important to invest in smaller forums,” he said.

He concluded his response by expressing appreciation for the concern, calling it “good feedback”.

“I’m glad you asked the question,” Pichai said. “I would encourage all speakers to speak and say what they think.” He added, “Let’s all try to do better there.”

A Google spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

CLOCK: Google delays plans to return to work in January

.



Source link

news7g

News7g: Update the world's latest breaking news online of the day, breaking news, politics, society today, international mainstream news .Updated news 24/7: Entertainment, Sports...at the World everyday world. Hot news, images, video clips that are updated quickly and reliably

Related Articles

Back to top button