For more than 20 years, Google has offered high wages, generous benefits and job security to tech talent. But for 12,000 employees, the end was too abrupt. The internal atmosphere of stability and prosperity has also disappeared.
tense company-wide rally
At an all-hands meeting on Jan. 23, anxious Google employees hurled management questions about the layoffs. The shock spread among the employees who suddenly became exposed to the hardships of working at a listed company during the slump.
One employee posted the following question for questioning:
“The layoffs just seem like a whim. I love Google, but I’m in shock right now. Please explain.”
To the shock of this employee and his colleagues, some of those dismissed included high-performing and long-serving employees. The question also added, “Should I continue to work hard? Does it make sense to do so?”
Another employee said that even with high performance ratings and high performance, employees would be worried that they might be fired in the future.
“How do you say you’re going to regain your psychological safety after all these layoffs?”
Google has always stressed that “psychological safety comes first,” said another employee in the UK.
Nonetheless, Google announced the layoffs in a single early morning email, without consulting management about who was to be fired, saying they were “chosen by vice presidents who didn’t even know their employees.” . This person also reveals that high-performing employees and those working on immigrant visas have also been fired.
Voices of disappointment like this are especially dangerous for Google. The company’s longstanding reputation for being a great place to work has allowed it to attract many of the industry’s best engineers and technical specialists, as well as grow. But if the layoffs hurt that reputation, it may have a harder time hiring talent in the future.
“‘Psychological safety’ is not about removing uncertainty.”
Speaking at the plenary session on psychological safety, Google CBO Philipp Schindler also spoke out.
According to Schindler, psychological safety is “an environment in which people feel safe to raise their voices, be willing to take risks, welcome feedback, make mistakes, and question the status quo.” It is said that
Philip Schindler, Chief Operating Officer of Google.
“If you interpret ‘psychological safety’ as removing all uncertainties, that is an unreasonable argument. It’s about minimizing chaos.In the real world, sometimes you have to adjust your priorities to the external environment, and that’s what’s happening here.” (Schindler)
Executives, including Schindler and CEO Sundar Pichai, stress that the layoffs are no coincidence. It was decided after a lot of planning and analysis about what would be best for the company’s long-term health. Some executives called on the remaining employees to continue working hard.
Pichai explains that high-performing and long-serving employees are less affected by layoffs.
Brian Glaser, who leads Google’s people development team, echoed Schindler’s words that psychological safety is how you can have “real” conversations.
“That means making the toughest decisions and breaking the news,” Glaser said. “None of us are immune to the possibility of career change.”
Google has not yet responded to a request for comment.
[original text]
(Edited by Ayuko Tokiwa)
Source: BusinessInsider
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