Lazlo Bock
– SVP People Operations, Google –
Lazlo bock is the closest thing the hr world has to a rockstar.
After working in a variety of jobs and industries early in his career, Bock was frustrated by how leaders spoke of putting people first, and then treating them like replaceable gears . It didn’t made any sense to him.
This drove him to enter the field of HR, where he hoped to influence how companies treated people.Hence, he joined Google in 2006 as head of people operations.
Bock wrote “work rules” to tell the story of how they thought about there people at google. Something what ,they were learning from past 17 years, and what any team or organization can do to put people first and transform there work place.
“We spend more time working than doing anything else in the life. Work should be motivating and energizing,and that’s just not the reality for too many people”
Bear off Managers Powers
Bock states that as managers hold a lot of power they sometimes tend to get biased which can demotivate the employees. If managers have power, the employees will try to be nice in front of their eyes. Hence,the employees won’t be genuine and motivated in their work. Hence for that google has created a separate committee and managers have zero power to bully their employees
Hire only if they are smarter than you
Hire people smarter than you so that the work can be confidently delegated over time. Hiring smart people will save your time as the decisions can be rapidly taken by a single person as he is smart enough for it. Because of it new ideas are implemented in a faster pace hence boosting the working environment and filling the company pockets.
Pay unequally
Bock admits that a policy to “pay unequally” is provocative, and that it might be better characterized as “pay unfairly.” In his view, it is actually more fair to pay a top performer significantly more than an employee with the same job title who produces less value.
“It’s too easy to remember the duty, and forget the joy.”
Be Transparent
According to bock the first thing that comes through transparency is trust. Transparency fosters a collaborative workforce .As transparent you are to your employees that much honest and sincere are they to you. So, try to be transparent and welcome feedback. Listen to others and think from their side.
Depend on data not on your gut
Data and analysis have long been associated with informed decisions, which reduces the likelihood of errors and increases the chances of success.Big, systematic data is mostly the backbone of most of the decisions.As you have seen the list of lifelong bad decisions, now you know which is the right one.
Trust your people
Bock urges to give more freedom to the employees. His argument was simple: freedom makes people accountable for outcomes, Its a sure-fire way to spark productivity.
Author – Nandu Krishna
Strategic Partnership Lead at Xobin
