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In the last week of July 2022, Google execs met with employees to share the company’s plan for dealing with a tough economy. Similar meetings could have taken place among execs and employees at any number of tech companies feeling the effects of a bear market, reorganizing after layoffs, and communicating vital objectives. For Google, a big part of the strategy is increasing the tech company’s productivity – or, more importantly, building a long-lasting culture of productivity.
CNBC reports that Google CEO Sundar Pichai explained to employees at the meeting that productivity isn’t where it needs to be with the company’s headcount.
How Google Is Planning to Increase the Tech Company’s Productivity
Once Google execs outlined the company’s challenges, they proposed solutions for increasing the tech company’s productivity. Their model is one that any tech company could follow or borrow from to do more with limited resources during uncertain economic times. Some of the measures Google plans to take to encourage a culture of productivity include:
- Employee input
Google is launching an initiative called “Simplicity Sprint,” asking its 174K+ employees for ideas on how to enhance product development and operational efficiency. Borrowing from the concept of an Agile sprint, Google asked employees to share ideas over about two weeks by completing a survey to share impressions and ideas.
Whether you organize a sprint or choose another method, collecting employee feedback and letting employees know you value their input is important. People closest to workflows often have the best insights on how to improve them. It’s common, however, for employees to have some reservations about speaking up, so ensure they know all honest input, good and bad, is welcome. Employee input can also positively impact your business by increasing employee engagement. When employees know they’re heard and their input can help change things for the better, they’re likely to find more satisfaction in their work. Gallup research found that companies that encourage regular employee feedback can reduce turnover by about 15 percent.
- Mission Focus
Building strong teams and clearly defining goals can lead to an increase in productivity. Trello shares some tactics it uses to create. This data-driven approach gives employees autonomy, putting faith in them and their expertise. It’s necessary to break down silos between departments that may have existed in more traditional management models, enabling multidisciplinary teams to work together as needed to complete their “mission.”
Business leaders must support mission-driven teams with collaboration tools and easy access to the data and insights they need. Also, remain flexible as team members discover more effective ways of completing their work or adding team members with different skills.
- Customer Experience
A ReadWrite blog points out that “productivity and customer experience go hand-in-hand.” The best customer experiences are more than thorough and personalized. They’re also efficient and well-timed. To deliver those experiences, teams must achieve a high level of productivity. It’s important to remember that increasing productivity doesn’t always mean employees have to put their noses to the grindstone. Productivity can also mean working smarter, leveraging tools to automate processes and streamline workflows to improve customer experiences.
Delivering great customer experiences and increasing customer satisfaction can also boost employee morale – and happy employees are more productive. Research at the University of Warwick found that happy people are 12 percent more productive than their less joyful peers. This is an area in which Google excels; Warwick researchers cite their ability to increase employee satisfaction by 37 percent by investing in employee support.
What Google Isn’t Doing 
Even though growth slowed, Google assured employees that there would be no layoffs at this time. Layoffs impact organizations in several ways, including increased turnover, either because of lower morale or added pressure from a heavier workload due to fewer people on the team. Layoffs can also lead to customer churn, particularly if clients’ contacts are no longer with the company. They can also send a message that a company is in trouble, which may prompt them to look for other tech providers. Overall, a layoff often has adverse effects rather than help build a culture of productivity.
Always Make the Most of What You Have
Whether your company is rallying the troops to turn around declining metrics or if you are looking for ways to strengthen your market position, building a strategy to increase productivity is a wise move. Keep your eyes on the industry, learn from other companies with plans to increase tech productivity, and work toward maximizing output and performance.
