Last week’s news about Google fighting off Facebook and other fast-growing internet firms in the war for talent is a glimpse into the future as well as a substantial morale lift if you’re feeling stuck or looking for a brighter future.
Now hear this! You really can get a job somewhere else – if not now, soon.
Ten percent of Facebook’s workers are Google veterans, so we’d have to assume that the brain drain didn’t happen over night. (Yoohoo Google senior management, were you just munching on Carrot Cake Larabars watching people leave after that statistic hit 7%?)
Anyway, Google has responded with an across the board 10% pay raise for all 23,000 employees. And the company didn’t stop there. Business Insider reported that employees will also receive a raise equivalent to their annual target bonus and performance-based “merit increases.” If that isn’t enough to give you employer envy, Google is also paying the taxes on its employees’ $1,000 holiday bonuses.
So Googlers are in revelry, but what’s the rest of the weary workforce to conclude? Start your engines, that’s what. Think of Googlers as people on a new planet taking the “first small steps for what’s possible for you, too.”
As employers wake up from their recession nap, they won’t need a crystal ball to realize that sustaining success means keeping their talent onboard and motivated. And just how far will they go when threatened with a talent drain? Terrific question.
While some employers may have to swallow hard to come up with a hefty raise, others may be more willing to negotiate. So what do you want to ask for? For many, it’s time away, paid, with their job guaranteed upon return. From a company perspective, sabbaticals offer a better alternative than doling out raises or bonuses. 
Google’s CEO wrote in an e-mail to employees that the company wants to lift morale: “Googlers, you are what makes this company great, and our goal here is to recognize you for your contribution, in a way that’s meaningful to you. Thank you for all that you do, and for making Google a place where magic happens,” Schmidt reportedly wrote.
“Magic” my foot. Google’s hoping to stop the exodus of talent and rachet up the engagement levels of their employees.
Other employers, assuming they are not sadistic or dumb as a door nail, won’t be far behind.
If you’d like to negotiate a sabbatical, but don’t know where to start, look here. I’d be remiss if I didn’t tell you we’ve helped people just like you be successful.
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