Google Layoffs: A Sign of the Times - December Realities
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As December rolled around and fourth quarter reports came in, Google lovers around the world were faced with a stark reality: Google had been hit hard by the economy. Although the company did manage to hit its figures for the quarter, there was also a great deal of news of changing times.
Around the corporation, benefits were being dropped or cut back for employees. Cafeterias no longer served as much food or even started charging for it. All kinds of benefits were being frozen or taken away entirely. Year end bonuses dropped from an expected $1000 to approximately $400. Basically, things were still great at Google, but there was a bit of an air of disenchantment.
The worst news that came out of December for Google was their report of 4,300 temporary workers. You will recall that just in November, the common thought was that Google had 10,000 temporary employees. Google co-founder Sergey Brin had provided this number for the world in October. What happened to nearly 6,000 temporary employees?
The truth is that the rumors from November had been correct. Despite the reactionist tone of the website releasing the news, it had been correct. Google really had slashed the majority of its temporary workforce. Of course, due to the nature of an employer’s relationship with contractors, this is not technically any kind of corporate evil. But the sad fact is that many contractors do expect to retain their jobs for quite a while, especially with such a solid Internet power as Google.
The cuts also could not have come at a worse time. The job market is weak everywhere, and contractors do not typically benefit from the same kinds of compensation as normal employees. They do not qualify for any severance or pay after employment; they are forced to live on what they managed to save up during better times. This is no fault of Google’s, it is simply the nature of contractors.
Still, it is a bad sign that Google was forced to cut 6,000 employees. Although this was not technically a layoff, as the employees were not full-time, it is quite telling. Google was finally showing signs that it was not as impervious to all disasters as previously thought. The tough economy was what it was: tough. Even Google was forced to take measures to keep its figures solid and its stockholders happy.
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