Take a minute to envision your dream job and the organization in which you’d most like to work. Maybe some of you had Google float through your head during this exercise. The extravagant nature of the Google workplace has been well-publicized over the last few years.
In case you missed it, here is a little intro from Google’s career site:
“We provide a standard package of fringe benefits, but on top of that are first-class dining facilities, gyms, laundry rooms, massage rooms, haircuts, car washes, dry cleaning, commuting buses – just about anything a hardworking employee might want. Let’s face it: programmers want to program, they don’t want to do their laundry. So we make it easy for them to do both.”
What’s included in that “standard package of fringe benefits,” you might ask? I won’t republish the whole list (it is quite long), but here are a few things Google considers standard:
- A full 12 weeks of paid maternity leave for Mom and/or seven weeks of paid paternity leave for Dad. Stressed out when you bring the baby home? No worries -- Google will pay for $500 worth of take-out food so you don’t have to cook.
- Want to go back to school? No problem. Google will pay up to $12,000 per year for education expenses.
- Want to adopt a child? Great. Google will pick up the first $5,000 worth of adoption expenses. And yes, you still get all the maternity and paternity benefits.
Here is a complete list is you care to read more: http://www.google.com/jobs/lifeatgoogle/benefits/
I think it is safe to say there is no real estate company on the planet who could match these types of benefits.
So, here is an important question to consider: If an individual worked in such a great environment, why would he/she leave?
Some light research was recently conducted on this question by Matt Lynley at Business Insider, and I think the results might surprise you. Here is some of what Lynley reported:
“People leave Google because…
1. They are not part of the ‘well-respected’ group. If you aren't an engineer, get ready to be below everyone else. At most companies, it's the product manager who's more valuable than the engineer. At Google, engineers get the final say in just about everything. That leaves designers, ad operatives and just about everyone else in the dust.
2. They are bored and want something new. Sometimes, it's time to move on. Two former Google employees we spoke with said they had been at Google for an extended period of time and wanted to try something new. A lot of them move on to new companies.
3. Feel disconnected and not part of a team they enjoy. If you're at a satellite office, you might feel disconnected. The former Google Wave Team left because they felt like they weren't getting their say. One former Googler said that New York wasn't really a satellite office, but just about everything else was. You have to make your presence felt in Mountain View if you want to have a say in the company.
4. Some are feeling the entrepreneurial itch. Chris Dixon tweeted just a short while ago some Google diaspora: Ev Williams, who founded Twitter; Kevin Systrom, who founded Instagram; Dennis Crowley, who founded Foursquare; and Ben Silbermann, who founded Pinterest. One former Googler we spoke to did just that, and got a nice acquisition deal out of it.
5. They want to diversify their experience. Facebook is the largest company where former Google employees end up. Seriously — who wouldn't want Facebook, Google, and Microsoft all on their resume? One former Googler we spoke with said this was a huge draw."
As Dave Mashburn wrote earlier this month (Why Money isn’t the Right Incentive), money is often not the primary reason people leave their job. Now, as Google alumni have shown us, the same rings true about benefits.
As a real estate manager responsible for hiring and retaining agents, I’m sure this is hard to believe. Most discussions you have on both ends of the spectrum (hiring or retaining) center on splits and benefits.
While you’ll always have to deal with the money issue, don’t make it the center of your discussions. Instead, focus on the reality of the human condition that the Google research teaches:
Human beings have an insatiable capacity for dissatisfaction.
Become an expert at detecting dissatisfaction. Everyone has some. Once identified, spend time helping individuals relieve that dissatisfaction.
Editor's Note: This article was written by Ben Hess. Ben is the Founding Partner and Managing Director of Tidemark, Inc. and a regular contributor to WorkPuzzle. Comments or questions are welcome. If you're an email subscriber, reply to this WorkPuzzle email. If you read the blog directly from the web, you can click the "comments" link below.
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