Google CEO Sundar Pichai speaks on stage during the annual Google I/O developers conference in Mountain View, California, May 8, 2018.
Stephen Lam | Reuters
Google is launching a new effort called “Simple Sprint” in an effort to improve efficiency and improve employee focus in an uncertain economic environment.
The Alphabet The company went all out on a regular basis last Wednesday, and the tone was somewhat urgent when employees expressed concerns about layoffs and CEO Sundar Pichai asked employees for input, according to attendees. and related internal documents viewed by CNBC. Google CEO Sundar Pichai told employees during the meeting.
“I wanted to give some additional context after our earnings results and also ask for your help,” Pichai began, referring to the company’s Q2 earnings report on Tuesday. “It is clear that we are facing a challenging macro environment with a lot of uncertainty ahead.”
He added, “There are real concerns that our productivity is generally not the level it needs to be given the number of employees we have.” He asked employees to help “create a culture that’s more mission-focused, more product-focused, more customer-centric. We should think about how we can reduce distractions and reduce distractions.” really raise the bar in both product quality and productivity.”
It comes after the company report second quarter in a row of earnings and revenue that were worse than expected on Tuesday. Revenue growth slowed to 13% in the quarter from 62% a year earlier, as the company is benefiting from post-pandemic reopenings and consumer spending picking up. Chief Financial Officer Ruth Porat said she expected some challenges to continue in the near term but the company has not released formal guidance.
It also comes after the recent Pichai announced that it will slow hiring and investment through 2023, requiring employees to work “more urgently” and “hungry more” than “on sunny days.”
‘Simple Sprint’
“I would love to have your help,” Pichai said during Wednesday’s hand-over meeting, speaking to his more than 170,000 full-time employees.
To that end, Pichai introduced the “Simple Sprint” initiative to gather ideas for faster product development. “Sprint” is a term commonly used in software development and by tech startups to denote short-term, focused efforts towards a common goal.
Pichai said the company is opening the floor for employees to share their ideas through August 15 through an internal survey asking if management can be reached if they have follow-up questions. .
Pichai said during the meeting was an effort for the company to “get better results faster.
Questions in the survey included “What would help you work more clearly and effectively to serve our users and customers? Where should we remove the speed bump for better results faster? How do we eliminate waste and stay entrepreneurial and focused as we grow? “
The request also comes as the company tries to ease tensions between employees and executives after a year Survey “Googlegeist” shows that the employees have dedicated to the company in a special way bad score on salary, promotion and performance.
Marking a 7% drop in Google’s view of enforcement, chief executive Prabhakar Raghavan at the time wrote “which means we need to pay more attention to stopping red tape. ” Raghavan is one of the most important and influential executives at the company, overseeing search, advertising, mapping and other areas.
In May, the company announced it will overhaul its performance review process to lead to a raise while hoping to reduce bureaucracy around pay and raises.
‘Some worries’
During Wednesday’s hand-in-hand meeting, executives addressed employee concerns about possible layoffs. One of the top-rated questions was, “Based on Sundar’s statement that raising Google’s focus ‘means consolidation where investments overlap and streamlines processes,’ we Should I expect a layoff?”
Pichai gave a question to Google’s chief human resources officer, Fiona Cicconi.
While Cicconi said the company is still hiring and has no plans to lay off right now, she doesn’t rule it out.
“We require teams to be more focused and efficient, and we’re also learning what that means as a company. While we can’t be certain about the future economy, we’re not currently looking to reduce Google’s overall workforce. “
She also said, “I do understand that there is some anxiety around this based on what we are hearing from other companies and what they are doing and as Sundar mentioned we are still working on it. recruiting for key roles,” says Cicconi. She asked employees to remember that this is still the biggest hiring year in the company’s history.
In the second quarter, Alphabet said its headcount grew 21% to 174,014 full-time employees from 144,056 a year ago. However, the company said last month it will slow hiring and investment pace through 2023, and CEO Sundar Pichai told employees in a memo, “we’re not immune to economic headwinds.”
Pichai has repeatedly noted broader economic obstacles. “If you’re looking at what’s going on outside – I’m sure all of you are reading the news – people in businesses that use Google products are facing their own challenges. them right now.”
