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Work Rules!: Insights from Inside Google That Will Transform How You Live and Lead
by
From the visionary head of Google's innovative People Operations comes a groundbreaking inquiry into the philosophy of work-and a blueprint for attracting the most spectacular talent to your business and ensuring that they succeed.
"We spend more time working than doing anything else in life. It's not right that the experience of work should be so demotivating and dehumani ...more
"We spend more time working than doing anything else in life. It's not right that the experience of work should be so demotivating and dehumani ...more
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Hardcover, 406 pages
Published
April 7th 2015
by Twelve
(first published January 1st 2015)
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Manuel Sanchez
From High School to the retired...there is something to learn here for everybody, but definitely nothing here for children.
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Start your review of Work Rules!: Insights from Inside Google That Will Transform How You Live and Lead

I think this is a must read for any leader in a modern business. Google has done a lot of things right both in their products and also in how they run their company and build their culture, and this is a fairly detailed account of how they've built an impressive culture, and is written by someone who knows - their head of HR. I'm a little surprised he told as much as he did - but I suppose it will only help for recruiting.
Goodreads is now a subsidiary of Amazon, and I have spent significant tim ...more
Goodreads is now a subsidiary of Amazon, and I have spent significant tim ...more

Laszlo Bock's Work Rules!: Insights from Inside Google That Will Transform How You Live and Lead
Overall, I really liked this book. I learned much and discovered even more. Multumesc mult, Laszlo!
Main positives:
1. In the end, and in bits throughout the book, the reader discovers that Google uses not so much a ground-breaking process, but rather a data-driven iteration of well-known HR (and to some extent also managerial) processes.
2. Very good analysis of many HR processes, including detailed an ...more
Overall, I really liked this book. I learned much and discovered even more. Multumesc mult, Laszlo!
Main positives:
1. In the end, and in bits throughout the book, the reader discovers that Google uses not so much a ground-breaking process, but rather a data-driven iteration of well-known HR (and to some extent also managerial) processes.
2. Very good analysis of many HR processes, including detailed an ...more

Disclosure: I've worked at Google for 8 years, and have known Laszlo for much of that time. I'm a big fan of his, and have worked closely with several of his teams over the years. With that out of the way:
This is a spectacular book, and would be well worth your time whether you're early in your career and trying to figure out what kind of company you want to work for, or you're later in your career and are responsible for the careers of those who work for you. Laszlo lays out much of what makes ...more
This is a spectacular book, and would be well worth your time whether you're early in your career and trying to figure out what kind of company you want to work for, or you're later in your career and are responsible for the careers of those who work for you. Laszlo lays out much of what makes ...more

Did this book transform how I live and lead? No. It's nowhere near as revolutionary or life changing as its subtitle would have you believe. It has a lot of interesting ideas, made even more interesting since they're from the context of Google. I'm sure most people have heard or seen glimpses of how Google supposedly works and treats their people, so having a book where those are explicitly divulged was nice. As with most business books, there were concepts I agreed with and a bunch I didn't see
...more

This is a superb book about making work happier, better, and more productive that should be read by...well, everyone who works in an organization of any size. The author is the head of Google's People Operations.
Page after page of Bock's book highlight the unconventional and successful approaches Google has taken to its employees: from the big upfront investment in hiring, to taking authority away from managers, to Googlegeist, to interest clubs. Moreover, Bock and his team make an extraordinary ...more
Page after page of Bock's book highlight the unconventional and successful approaches Google has taken to its employees: from the big upfront investment in hiring, to taking authority away from managers, to Googlegeist, to interest clubs. Moreover, Bock and his team make an extraordinary ...more

Probably would have made a better Powerpoint presentation than a book.
Laszlo Bock starts Work Rules by telling the reader the names of all the important people Laszlo Bock has met and worked with, and it goes downhill from there. Did you know that Laszlo cold-called 8 HR executives at GE and Pepsi because he wanted to work there, but only Anne Abaya at GE (I've never heard of her either) returned his call? Six weeks later, he was hired as (please note the capital letters) Vice President of Compe ...more
Laszlo Bock starts Work Rules by telling the reader the names of all the important people Laszlo Bock has met and worked with, and it goes downhill from there. Did you know that Laszlo cold-called 8 HR executives at GE and Pepsi because he wanted to work there, but only Anne Abaya at GE (I've never heard of her either) returned his call? Six weeks later, he was hired as (please note the capital letters) Vice President of Compe ...more

It's a tough one to review as it's possibly quite personal for me being in HR. I can so relate to some of the issues experienced but also find it helpful to look at it from a more data driven perspective. I am always struck by how your frame of mind impacts your experience of a book. If you're ready to hear it, you want to hear more. When you're not ready, it's not so fun to read. I had a bit of both during this both.
One thought I had was that this book will make more people want to apply at Goo ...more
One thought I had was that this book will make more people want to apply at Goo ...more

Actually one of the best books I've ever read in the area of people management and about HR organization. Of course the book is filled with google anecdotes but if you filter out the propaganda there is a deep and very interesting understanding about performance management, about what drives people and result, about that you need to be unfair instead of looking at bell curves, about constant feedback and most interesting of all, lots and lots of examples of how to be data driven in your HR work.
...more

This book is extremely recommended to three types of readers: First, managers, who will find it useful for developing talent and getting more value and productivity from their existing teams. Second, any HR professional who will find great insights about hiring, interviewing and empowering people, and lastly, any employee who wants to grow, “be a founder” (as Bock puts it) and achieve meaningful impact with their work. Personally, I think the book can also serve as a great branding book for anyo ...more

I received Work Rules!: Insights from Inside Google That Will Transform How You Live and Lead by Laszlo Bock from Goodreads and am so glad I did! This book will take what you "know" about leadership and employees and throw it out the window.
Okay, sure, there are inevitably people who will need to be micro-managed...but you don't want them to be your employees. Learn to manage how you like to be managed. Learn to encourage productivity and remove obstacles instead of drilling down to the minutiae ...more
Okay, sure, there are inevitably people who will need to be micro-managed...but you don't want them to be your employees. Learn to manage how you like to be managed. Learn to encourage productivity and remove obstacles instead of drilling down to the minutiae ...more

Jun 18, 2017
Gwen (The Gwendolyn Reading Method)
rated it
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review of another edition
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While I haven't quite drank the kool-aid that Google is the bestest place ever to work and has HR all figured out, they certainly have studied it more than anyone else and this book is thought-provoking and definitely gets the juices flowing on better ways to do things!
...more

This book was given to me by my supervisor with the intent that I would find some takeaways that we could apply to our office.
This was an interesting read, and the author provided many, many anecdotes supporting his main statements. It was well-written, and there are indeed several things that could be applied to an workplace, large or small. Google isn't a perfect company by any means, but they do good by their employees, that's for sure. ...more
This was an interesting read, and the author provided many, many anecdotes supporting his main statements. It was well-written, and there are indeed several things that could be applied to an workplace, large or small. Google isn't a perfect company by any means, but they do good by their employees, that's for sure. ...more

Great read - lots of valuable information presented in an engaging way, with just the right amount of humor. Kudos to Laszlo Bock for being so willing to share what they've learned works at Google.
One interesting sidenote: Google uses OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) to set its business goals. John Doerr, from Kleiner Perkins, introduced this system to Google when the company was only a year old. He also introduced them to Amazon. Part of me is wondering just how many other companies have been ...more
One interesting sidenote: Google uses OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) to set its business goals. John Doerr, from Kleiner Perkins, introduced this system to Google when the company was only a year old. He also introduced them to Amazon. Part of me is wondering just how many other companies have been ...more

Damn you Googlers!
It's the 3rd book "by-Googler-about-Google" I've read & it's at least as good as the prev ones ("How Google Tests Software" & "How Google Works") - and most likely even better. Quite surprisingly, because it's written by an HR guy & it presents his perspective (which is obviously insanely extensive & thorough, but it's not an engineering perspective - something that majority of readers expects).
Anyway. Pros:
* tons of RL examples & stories - not trivial ones that could & have ha ...more
It's the 3rd book "by-Googler-about-Google" I've read & it's at least as good as the prev ones ("How Google Tests Software" & "How Google Works") - and most likely even better. Quite surprisingly, because it's written by an HR guy & it presents his perspective (which is obviously insanely extensive & thorough, but it's not an engineering perspective - something that majority of readers expects).
Anyway. Pros:
* tons of RL examples & stories - not trivial ones that could & have ha ...more

This book ‘Work Rules’ by Laszlo Block is very nice book and its regarding the work culture, recruitment process and regarding the performance management in Google. Best part which i like was their recruitment process in google - they take lot of effort to take their googlers because they conceder their employees as a valuable resource. They all do lot of activities in google to develop go oglers skill by ask question from different department so the employees will start learning from something
...more

Without a doubt, this is THE most valuable book I have read this year. Goes directly to my "must read" shelf, that I'm constantly recommending to everone I know :) For me, this book is not necessarily about Google, or HR department. This book is about how to stay sane and humane on daily basis. Moreover, many ideas in this book just lay there and beg to be implemented! :)
...more

Very insightful and interesting on how one could build successful company. I'm not fan of heavyweight performance review process, but Google's data driven approach to run HR people operations is amazing.
Focus on hiring great talent is also something that every executive should read about. ...more
Focus on hiring great talent is also something that every executive should read about. ...more

About the book: Work Rules! takes us through the inner workings of Google, one of the most powerful and successful companies in the world. Bock tells us precisely how Google pulls off this feat while consistently being ranked as the best employer in the world.
About the author: Laszlo Bock is the senior vice president of People Operations at Google. He is responsible for attracting, developing and retaining more than 50,000 “Googlers” based around the world. During his time there, Google has been ...more
About the author: Laszlo Bock is the senior vice president of People Operations at Google. He is responsible for attracting, developing and retaining more than 50,000 “Googlers” based around the world. During his time there, Google has been ...more

Some useful insights. Nothing earth-shattering, but there's some practical stuff that I think I can use as a manager.
Even though there are some innovations coming from Google, I find their approach surprisingly traditional. For example, they haven't made any "out there" changes like making everyone's salary public, or similar fads. It's good to hear that they also try new things and bump their heads like any other company. I guess the luxury they have is that they can run small scale experiment ...more
Even though there are some innovations coming from Google, I find their approach surprisingly traditional. For example, they haven't made any "out there" changes like making everyone's salary public, or similar fads. It's good to hear that they also try new things and bump their heads like any other company. I guess the luxury they have is that they can run small scale experiment ...more

A very thought provoking book! I don't agree with everything in the book, maybe 70% or so, but even the stuff I don't agree with is very interesting to think about.
Here's a few takeaways I got from the book:
- Everyone can look at themselves as a founder even if it's within their own department. Having this outlook instills ownership and responsibility that invokes positive action.
- Typical management responsibilities don't always make sense at every level of the company and could be beneficial ...more
Here's a few takeaways I got from the book:
- Everyone can look at themselves as a founder even if it's within their own department. Having this outlook instills ownership and responsibility that invokes positive action.
- Typical management responsibilities don't always make sense at every level of the company and could be beneficial ...more

yes! a book with actionable steps - overviews and teeny details. will read again.
I loved the surveys to see how people are collaborating in teams and which managers are doing well and what that means to their teams. double blind manager studies show 8 (admittedly bland) traits of good managers:
1) be a good coach - think about employee strengths and circumstances before 1:1s to partner with employees t make solutions
2) empower without micromanaging
3) express interest in team-member success and pe ...more
I loved the surveys to see how people are collaborating in teams and which managers are doing well and what that means to their teams. double blind manager studies show 8 (admittedly bland) traits of good managers:
1) be a good coach - think about employee strengths and circumstances before 1:1s to partner with employees t make solutions
2) empower without micromanaging
3) express interest in team-member success and pe ...more

Interesting insights on how Google works, Googlers make decisions and learn from their wins and losses. A couple things that stood out for me were 1) the willingness to experiment - there are always a number of small experiments running. Without the fear of, we may be stuck with this if it does not work. 2) Learning and systemizing from what makes the successful people successful in Google. Overall a good read. Can be a tad self congratulatory at times :)
My notes.
1. Checklist for managers is ver ...more
My notes.
1. Checklist for managers is ver ...more

This book shouldn't be taken as some sort of HR Bible. It is purely the perspective of how Google does things, and what works for them.
A lot of the things they do, simply isn't practical or possible in small / non-billion dollar revenue companies.
That being said, there are a tons of small things in the book that any company can do to:
1. Hire the right people
2. Keep your best people
3. Build a strong culture
4. Be transparent
5. Show compassion
6. Trust people
I fully agree with a bunch of ideas:
1. Fl ...more
A lot of the things they do, simply isn't practical or possible in small / non-billion dollar revenue companies.
That being said, there are a tons of small things in the book that any company can do to:
1. Hire the right people
2. Keep your best people
3. Build a strong culture
4. Be transparent
5. Show compassion
6. Trust people
I fully agree with a bunch of ideas:
1. Fl ...more

Very insightful. I enjoyed this book a lot, though I did find it a bit lengthy and repetitive at times.
Overall, I got a lot of valuable information. I can't currently apply most of the principles to my own work, but I think it's still good to be aware of them. ...more
Overall, I got a lot of valuable information. I can't currently apply most of the principles to my own work, but I think it's still good to be aware of them. ...more

I am sure, somewhat idealistically, that work shouldn’t be miserable, it can be energizing and exciting. This book is about how to make a work such a place from the Google HR’s perspective. A lot of cases, examples, even cases of failures. Very clear structure, tons of references I’d like to read someday, too.

This book was kind of boring... and that's a mark a high praise.
I've worked at Google for a decade, as a manager for nearly half of that. This book really does describe the way that Google structures the workplace to create an innovative environment. If I hadn't been a bit bored, if I had been surprised, it probably would have been because the book didn't ring true. Instead, this book explores examples of what has worked and what hasn't worked at Google to create a strong culture.
The first two ...more
I've worked at Google for a decade, as a manager for nearly half of that. This book really does describe the way that Google structures the workplace to create an innovative environment. If I hadn't been a bit bored, if I had been surprised, it probably would have been because the book didn't ring true. Instead, this book explores examples of what has worked and what hasn't worked at Google to create a strong culture.
The first two ...more
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Laszlo Bock leads Google's people function, responsible for attracting, developing, retaining, and delighting "Googlers." He believes that giving people freedom and supplementing our instincts with hard science are steps on the path to making work meaningful and people happy.
Laszlo's first book, WORK RULES!, is available for pre-order now and will come out on April 7, 2015. As of January 2015 it ...more
Laszlo's first book, WORK RULES!, is available for pre-order now and will come out on April 7, 2015. As of January 2015 it ...more
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