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I work for Google in MTV now. I typically get in around 9:30-10 and leave around 5 with half an hour of lunch and sometimes a trip to the gym in the middle. I n

I work for Google in MTV now. I typically get in around 9:30-10 and leave around 5 with half an hour of lunch and sometimes a trip to the gym in the middle. I never work or read email in the evenings, so I probably average slightly under 7 hours a day. There's no pressure to work more, and I really value and appreciate that. Still, I feel like admitting to enjoying your free time and working ~35 hour weeks is a scandalous taboo that would ruin your chances to get hired elsewhere, so I posted this on a throwaway.

drewg123 10y ago
Yes, I honestly think that Google was probably the most laid back workplace I've ever experienced. It was like a vacation after my previous job. More pay for 1/2 the work is always a nice tradeoff. I had come to Google from a small company where I was in the critical path, with a feeling like if I didn't put in 110% all the time, the company could go under. The transition from that environment to being a tiny cog in a giant machine was very liberating. The main reason I answered email in the evenings was that it was a habit from the previous job.
shaftway 10y ago
I work for Google in MTV now. I usually get in around 8:30 and am out on the first bus, just before 4:00. I've worked 3 evenings in the past 5 years (2 were for hackathons, one of which translated into a transfer offer), and I spent two hours working on a weekend once, actually just a couple months ago. I usually play games on my phone on the bus. I also feel no pressure to work more. I feel like I'm valued by the team, and frankly more time typing wouldn't make me more productive. I feel like the work/life balance team does a great job of advocating time off, so I don't feel guilty about my time off. I've been at places that expected 60 hour weeks, and I've found that setting realistic expectations from day 1 were key to me doing my ~40 guilt free.
- shaftway 10y ago
  Also, FWIW I'm near my vacation cap. My plan is to start taking every other Friday off in order to not lose vacation. Teammates and manager were all like "nice" when I let them know.

drewg123 10y ago

Yes, I honestly think that Google was probably the most laid back workplace I've ever experienced. It was like a vacation after my previous job. More pay for 1/2 the work is always a nice tradeoff. I had come to Google from a small company where I was in the critical path, with a feeling like if I didn't put in 110% all the time, the company could go under. The transition from that environment to being a tiny cog in a giant machine was very liberating. The main reason I answered email in the evenings was that it was a habit from the previous job.

shaftway 10y ago

I work for Google in MTV now. I usually get in around 8:30 and am out on the first bus, just before 4:00. I've worked 3 evenings in the past 5 years (2 were for hackathons, one of which translated into a transfer offer), and I spent two hours working on a weekend once, actually just a couple months ago. I usually play games on my phone on the bus. I also feel no pressure to work more. I feel like I'm valued by the team, and frankly more time typing wouldn't make me more productive. I feel like the work/life balance team does a great job of advocating time off, so I don't feel guilty about my time off. I've been at places that expected 60 hour weeks, and I've found that setting realistic expectations from day 1 were key to me doing my ~40 guilt free.

shaftway 10y ago
Also, FWIW I'm near my vacation cap. My plan is to start taking every other Friday off in order to not lose vacation. Teammates and manager were all like "nice" when I let them know.