Comments on: Spending Dinner at Work http://getluky.net/2008/04/23/spending-dinner-at-work/ Bred for skill in magic. Mon, 06 Oct 2008 19:35:20 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 By: Matthew http://getluky.net/2008/04/23/spending-dinner-at-work/#comment-310307 Matthew Tue, 13 May 2008 22:55:55 +0000 http://getluky.net/?p=278#comment-310307 <p>Jeez, what ever happened to having a life outside of work?</p> <p>How's about better long term retention, and a happier, healthier workforce if they go home once in a while?</p> Jeez, what ever happened to having a life outside of work?

How’s about better long term retention, and a happier, healthier workforce if they go home once in a while?

]]> By: Leonard http://getluky.net/2008/04/23/spending-dinner-at-work/#comment-310258 Leonard Fri, 25 Apr 2008 03:57:33 +0000 http://getluky.net/?p=278#comment-310258 <p>Yeah, I think they're not doing the right numbers. GOOG headcount is at 18,000. If half the workforce ends up working for an extra 1 hr/day (it's probably closer to 2) b/c of breakfast and lunch, and assuming that an FTE hour is worth $50 to Google (probably low since the fully loaded cost for the avg knowledge work is probably about $100/hr, and the Goog's profit margin is >25% and that's including all operating costs), that means:</p> <p>9,000 employees * 251 days * 1 hour * $50 = $113M</p> <p>If it does cost $75M (again, we'll use the worst case number, even if it's more likely 70% of that), we're talking about a 50% return on investment. Since we're using worst case numbers, the direct returns are probably much higher. </p> <p>And that's before calculating <em>any</em> second order benefits (better retention, increased loyalty/productivity, increased morale/quality of life, increased reputation/easier hiring and recruiting - and of course free write ups. By almost every set of these important (but harder to quantify) metrics, they is a non-trivial qualitative improvement. Even if it were a complete wash, any knowledge company that could would be (and are IMO) stupid for not following suit.</p> <p>Do people realize how disruptive and hard it is to replace (recruit/hire/train/etc) a high performing engineer (especially w/ the huge ramp up w/ the custom systems and processes at a cutting edge tech firm)? Does anyone realize how non-linearly time scales and what it means in terms of development productivity (Talking to lots of people, and certainly for myself, I find it takes me a couple hours for me to ramp up into a flow state, after which I get more productive (until a certain point - but again, depending on blood sugar!)). Anyway, I'll stop railing against stupidity. I'm sure Google has run the numbers themselves. They do love doing that, so I hear.</p> Yeah, I think they’re not doing the right numbers. GOOG headcount is at 18,000. If half the workforce ends up working for an extra 1 hr/day (it’s probably closer to 2) b/c of breakfast and lunch, and assuming that an FTE hour is worth $50 to Google (probably low since the fully loaded cost for the avg knowledge work is probably about $100/hr, and the Goog’s profit margin is >25% and that’s including all operating costs), that means:

9,000 employees * 251 days * 1 hour * $50 = $113M

If it does cost $75M (again, we’ll use the worst case number, even if it’s more likely 70% of that), we’re talking about a 50% return on investment. Since we’re using worst case numbers, the direct returns are probably much higher.

And that’s before calculating any second order benefits (better retention, increased loyalty/productivity, increased morale/quality of life, increased reputation/easier hiring and recruiting - and of course free write ups. By almost every set of these important (but harder to quantify) metrics, they is a non-trivial qualitative improvement. Even if it were a complete wash, any knowledge company that could would be (and are IMO) stupid for not following suit.

Do people realize how disruptive and hard it is to replace (recruit/hire/train/etc) a high performing engineer (especially w/ the huge ramp up w/ the custom systems and processes at a cutting edge tech firm)? Does anyone realize how non-linearly time scales and what it means in terms of development productivity (Talking to lots of people, and certainly for myself, I find it takes me a couple hours for me to ramp up into a flow state, after which I get more productive (until a certain point - but again, depending on blood sugar!)). Anyway, I’ll stop railing against stupidity. I’m sure Google has run the numbers themselves. They do love doing that, so I hear.

]]> By: Gordon http://getluky.net/2008/04/23/spending-dinner-at-work/#comment-310255 Gordon Thu, 24 Apr 2008 16:42:20 +0000 http://getluky.net/?p=278#comment-310255 <p>That's a really good way to put it, Neil. As someone who has only eaten there maybe 5 times, the main thing that struck me was just how many people are actually there after 6pm, as opposed to other tech companies that we know well.</p> That’s a really good way to put it, Neil. As someone who has only eaten there maybe 5 times, the main thing that struck me was just how many people are actually there after 6pm, as opposed to other tech companies that we know well.

]]> By: Neil Kandalgaonkar http://getluky.net/2008/04/23/spending-dinner-at-work/#comment-310254 Neil Kandalgaonkar Thu, 24 Apr 2008 15:30:18 +0000 http://getluky.net/?p=278#comment-310254 <p>I posted a comment about this over at news.yc.</p> <p>http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=171960</p> <p>It seems to me that the cafeterias at Google are just an extension of their ruling ethos -- generous and ruthless at the same time.</p> I posted a comment about this over at news.yc.

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=171960

It seems to me that the cafeterias at Google are just an extension of their ruling ethos — generous and ruthless at the same time.

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