Reddit mentions of Work Rules!: Insights from Inside Google That Will Transform How You Live and Lead

Total comp (base plus bonus) is a little over 200k. I work in HR strategy and I love it. I am single with no kids and my boss lives across the country, so I don't really count my hours that much. Some days I work from 10-3 if I'm just not feeling it and have a bunch of personal errands to run. Other days I work from 6am to 10pm because I'm on a roll and in the groove with something I'm working on. There's no expectation that I work on the weekends or evenings, but I do sometimes anyways. I just generally make sure that I get a lot of quality work done and that my leader is happy. My own standards are super high, so I don't tend to have a problem with my leader thinking I'm slacking.

Also, the best thing about my work/life balance is getting to work from home when I don't have meetings that require me to be in the office. Today I worked from home in PJs. Sometimes I'll watch a movie while answering emails.

I worked my ass off for 15 years to reach this point and I feel like for the first time since high school I can take a breath and just enjoy my life. Gotta say I'm proud of myself. :)

Edit: For those who are curious about exploring what HR strategy is all about, I highly recommend reading Work Rules, which is about how HR works at Google.

Here are a few that I've found useful relating to teamwork, management, and/or general career shit:

• Corporate Confidential
  
• Work Rules!
  
• The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
  
  

Laszlo Bock explain in much more detail in his book Work Rules!. Also he talks about the other cool things at Google. :)

Kudos to you for tackling the big issues! I would give "Work Rules" a read. I recommend it to all HR professionals. It'll get you even more motivated to make work better for the folks in your office!

​

As for HR management software, I'd give Workday a call. I know they've been working hard to tailor their stuff for small to medium sized businesses.

​

+1 to speaking with the owner and getting them aligned to your goals. The worst thing that could happen is you do all this work and the owner shoots it down. I would present a 1-3 year road map on what you plan to do, how you plan to do it, the cost of doing it, and the outcome of doing it. Get them excited about it, too!

​

Good luck to you and don't let the negative comments get in your head! You can do it!

My boss had me read the book about google's HR policies when I first started. I really enjoyed it.

​

https://www.amazon.com/Work-Rules-Insights-Inside-Transform/dp/1455554790

Read/Audiobook this before you go - [Work Rules] (https://www.amazon.ca/Work-Rules-Insights-Inside-Transform/dp/1455554790)

Becoming the Evidence Based Manager by Gary Latham

Leadership BS by Jeffrey Pfeffer

Dying for a Paycheck by Jeffrey Pfeffer

Evidence Based Management by Denise Rousseau and Eric Barends

The Culture Code by Daniel Coyle

Work Rules by Laszlo Bock (of course)

​

And more that are actually based on solid evidence, not stories (sorry, I mean case studies. Same thing).