Google employs a large number of employees worldwide estimated to be over 12000. In all countries where the company operates, there is an important need to have employees there. More importantly, to guarantee continued growth across regions and also to facilitate better integration among locals, there is the need to include local employees in the company’s workforce. They have proven very instrumental in areas such as the development of local products as well as compliance with local regulations as well as cultures. The fact that the company operates in a highly competitive and dynamic environment means that the considerably large pool of employees based in the different regions has to be properly managed to maximize their productivity.
Consequently, Google employs several diversity management tactics to enable the different range of people to fit in but more importantly boost their value as a result of their variety and difference. This helps enrich the human capital. The most basic strategy is equal opportunity employment. This is an important element of the company’s recruitment procedure. It ensures a fair proportion of any gender in a bid to incorporate the diversity of talents. Above this, the company has a deliberate policy to incorporate as much as possible the different ethnic groups’ resident in the country of operation. He aim here is to ensure acceptability among the public and also tap into the diverse knowledge availed from the different groupings (HRM Guide Network. n.d. par4).
In addition to hiring procedures, the company has visible efforts towards the development of a highly dynamic culture with the highest possible levels of inclusivity of employee’s needs. This is visible from the basics such as dress codes to the flexibility of the rules which govern behavior at the workplace. All the restrictions imposed on workers are carefully evaluated to ensure they do not infringe on the principle of diversity in the company. This offers an environment conducive for each individual to grow in his/her own unique way. As this growth happens, the human resource department is very proactive in identifying the best areas for each person to operate in and subsequently organizes tailor made training programs to build on these abilities (McNamara, 1999, par7).
Another very important tactic is the continued emphasis on work life balance among the employees. The company not only ensures employees have adequate free time to engage in activities of their choice but also spend considerably in activities which outside the workplace. More importantly, these activities are chosen in full consideration of the local tastes and preferences which serve to enhance the identity of the participants. The company actually has deliberate diversity programs. The 70/20/10 model is a classic example of such program. Here, 70% of the working time is spent on activities directly related to the company’s business. 20% of the time is spent on activities of choice as long as they are in furtherance of the company’s goals while 10% of the time is spent on activities of choice and with relation to the company’s goals (Why global ethics count & how HR can help, 2008, par5).
In my view, the diversity management activities employed by the company are highly effective. This assertion is based on several reasons. First, is the fact that a wide majority of the company’s employees express great satisfaction. This view cuts across employees working in different regions and countries. Clearly, if the company imposed culture to all the employees, the rates of satisfaction would be much lower despite the high wages offered by the company. Secondly, since formation, the company has been able to maintain high performance, high acceptance among different societies and also develop local products which have significantly generated growth. Most of the local products have come up as a result of embracing and appreciating diversity. This way the company has managed to grow in profitability, diversify products, build a more talented human capital for the future and according to most analysts, Google is expected to remain healthy for the foreseeable future.
There are several ethics related activities at Google. One of the most important ethical activities is compliance. The company has a deliberate effort towards compliance to the local regulations even in cases where they disagree with the host nation. Secondly, the company runs an ethics program aimed at communicating the vision and values of the company, build on relationships with the different stakeholders as well as the responsibilities of each employee (Why global ethics count & how HR can help, 2008,par4-9).
My advice to the company is that they should maintain the culture of openness accommodation and promotion of diversity among the working force. Full attention should be channeled towards even further entrenchment of diversification tactics as this seems to be a sure way of improving the productivity of the company’s workforce through improved satisfaction and this will translate into an even better future for the company in terms of performance as well as reputation.
References
HRM Guide Network. (n.d.). Managing diversity. Web.
McNamara, C. (1999). Diversity appreciation, training and management. Web.
Why global ethics count & how HR can help. (2008). HR Focus, 85(10), 1-5. Web.