Google Diversity and Inclusion
The Best Place to Work
2008 Black Googler Network (BGN) Summer Cookout
Around here, being yourself is a job requirement. When we encourage Googlers to express themselves, we really mean it. In fact, we count on it. Intellectual curiosity and passionate perspectives drive our policies, our work environment, our perks and our profits. At the end of the day, it’s Googlers who make Google one of Fortune magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work For.”
What makes working here so inspiring?
- Our 20% time program gives engineers the opportunity to pursue personal interests in their work.
- Our work environment reflects the needs of our employees, including flexible hours, family programs, mothers’ rooms, and transgender-friendly restrooms.
- Employee resource groups (ERGs) actively participate in building community and driving policy at Google.
- Google’s Council on Disability meets twice annually to weigh in on accessibility issues internally and externally.
Employee Resource Groups
At Google, our Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) get a great deal of company support and draw their membership from across the globe. Google ERGs create networks within the company that reach across functional and national boundaries to strengthen the company’s retention programs. They provide valuable feedback about the workings of Google’s HR programs and policies, as well as provide valuable opportunities for personal growth and professional development. We are proud to be recipients of awards honoring us for our inclusive work environment, including:
- HRC Corporate Equality Index 100% Rating (2007, 2008, 2009)
- The Times UK "Top 50 Places Women Want to Work" (2007, 2008)
- Fortune Magazine's #1 on 100 Best Companies To Work For (2007, 2008)
Other international groups, like the Gayglers (Googler’s GLBT employees), help us connect with the communities in which we work (and play), worldwide. To learn more about how Google values an inclusive work environment, visit the official Google blog series, Interface, with submissions from our employee resource group members.
Our Employee Resource Groups include:
Asian American Google NetworkBlack Googler Network
Gayglers (the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender [LGBT] affinity network)
Google American Indian Network
Google Capability Council (for people with disabilities)
Google Women's Network
Google Women Engineers
Women's Leadership Community
Hispanic Googler Network
Indus Googler Network
Mosaic (cross-network groups)
"As a Gaygler (a member of Google's gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender [LGBT] affinity group) and a Greygler (a Googler over 40 years old), for the first time in my long career, I'm working for a company that not only recognizes and values their LGBT employees, but gives those employees the tools to succeed in defining their mission, outreach, and activities. As an avid cyclist, I've worked with my colleagues to sponsor teams of Googlers in AIDS LifeCycle on the west coast and Braking the Cycle on the east coast. In our office, we've become involved in the Human Rights Campaign as a local sponsor of their annual dinner, and with the Imperial Court of New York, a philanthropic organization that opens their hearts and their daily planners to ensure that people in the entire LGBT community have enough medical care, food, and shelter. Of course, we celebrate Gay Pride Month and participate in those festivities, but I'm also proud that Google values diversity and is a responsible corporate citizen that puts those values into practice." - Scott, Software Engineer, New York
"When I joined Google, I asked a colleague whether there was a group for Asian American professionals at Google. Her reply was no, but that she knew the head of diversity initiatives at Google. She introduced the two of us, and after a couple of meetings and discussions, we started up the Asian American Googlers Network (AAGN). We've grown to a very big membership base from offices all over the US. I've really enjoyed working with other Googlers who serve on the various AAGN steering committees to organize events and activities for the greater Google community. Some of the committees are responsible for launching a mentorship program, inviting outside speakers from our community, planning social or educational/cultural activities, and contributing back to society through community service. We actively encourage our members to network with each other, so that we are all helping ourselves to further develop and succeed in our careers."
"The mission of BGN (Black Googlers Network) is to attract, recruit, and retain top African-American talent to Google and establish Google as a top company to work for among the African-American community. I lead the efforts of the Retain Team, which focuses on building a BGN community that keeps us connected, facilitates networking and the sharing of ideas, and participates in community outreach. Not only does Google support these initiatives, they actively encourage it! Since the start of our organization in 2005, we have more than doubled our membership and have expanded globally. We are continuing to build a strong internal community with a series of community outreach, social and cultural activities and have also started to build a community externally with other African-American professional organizations. It is great to be part of a company that not only speaks the message of diversity, but proves it with its actions."
"Coming from a small, closely knit Native American community at Stanford, I often worried about diversity and how any organization deals with underrepresented populations. At the time I started, Google didn't have a Native American network, so I casually asked our Chief Culture Officer over our department happy hour how I could get one going. She immediately put me in touch with the right folks on her team and, shortly after, the Google American Indian Network (GAIN) was born. Our team is relatively new, but already, we've been able to participate in the Native American Indian Science and Engineering Fair as well as establish scholarships with the American Indian Science and Engineering Society. We're currently looking at ways that we can increase community involvement by starting with grade school programs and motivating these Native American children in science and math programs. Google has really empowered us to embrace diversity initiatives and continues to offer full company support for successful execution of those initiatives."
"The great thing about Google is the fact that we have this massive associational life and there's always room for more! For example, when I first came to the New York office, we did not have a local chapter of the larger Hispanic Googlers Network (HGN). I simply sent out a few emails inviting people to join a newly forming organization for Hispanic colleagues and next thing I knew...HGN came to life in New York. My favorite event so far was our HGN Sponsored "TGIAF" - Google's version of a happy hour which we have every week. HGN worked with our dining services team to create an exquisite menu that represented foods from Central, South and Latin America, as well as the Caribbean followed by a demonstration of professional Latin and Flamenco ballroom dancers. It was one of the most successful TGIAF's to date in New York, and the best part was that over 300 of our fellow Googlers showed up to support HGN and danced for hours! Any company can provide resources to host an event to promote culture, history, etc., but at Google, your colleagues actually want to be a part of the experience with you and I love that part of most of all!"
"Google's recognition and support for diversity is apparent from our various employee resource groups! As part of IGN (Indus Googlers Network) I feel fortunate to have the support from Google and our diversity program. Thanks to their guidance we have grown from a few people with ideas to a strong network of Googlers across various cultures and backgrounds. We are thrilled to see the interaction and creativity being spawned by events like the upcoming Indian Independence Day - complete with Bollywood dancers, a history of India presentation, and tons of Indian food -- as well as our other events planned this year (such as Diwali, a dance ballet with more than 30 Googlers in various roles, as well as movie series, panel discussions, and more). Efforts such as our diversity program make me proud to be a Googler!"
"At Google we are always trying to increase our presence in the Latino/Hispanic community through partnerships, conferences, and special programs. The group which I co-lead, the Hispanic Googlers Network, recently hosted the National Society of Hispanic MBAs (
"Whenever you can gather a team of Google-caliber talent, and apply their skills to a problem, great things can happen. These problems don't have to be search, or email, or even any of our other technologies. They can just as easily be education, work-culture and community, or even greater social challenges. That's exactly the opportunity we have through our Employee Resource Groups like the Black Googler Network and the Hispanic Googler Network. The bottoms-up approach puts us in the driver's seat, letting us prioritize our efforts and take on initiatives that are meaningful to us. For example, I helped organize our BGN Black History Month event in the New York office, where we had a step team performance, jazz band, and, of course, special Google t-shirts. I really enjoyed working with my colleagues across functions to bring this event, which was attended by people throughout the office, to life. Whether it be working with recruiting on diversity initiatives, bringing a taste of the diaspora to the office for a day for all to enjoy, or working on projects within the local communities, with the support of Google's Resource Groups, employees are empowered to make a positive impact on people both inside and outside the Google walls. "
"In 2006, I sat with a small group of people around a table and imagined "what could be". Two months later we launched a major diversity recruiting effort that focused on recruiting more African-Americans from the top colleges and universities in the US. We rapidly organized over 30 Googlers to visit 16 schools in 6 weeks and interact with more than 500 African American candidates. With the success of this effort, we knew we were on to something and created the Black Googler Network (BGN), one of Google's first employee resource groups. Two years later, BGN is global, with an expanded focus and has hundreds of members worldwide. As an African American, I am proud to work for a company that allows me to imagine, create, experiment, implement, and scale great ideas that work."
Equal Opportunity
At Google, we are committed to a supportive work environment, where employees have the opportunity to reach their fullest potential. Each Googler is expected to do his or her utmost to create a respectful workplace culture that is free of harassment, intimidation, bias and unlawful discrimination of any kind.
Equal Opportunity Employment Statement
Employment here is based solely upon individual merit and qualifications directly related to professional competence. We strictly prohibit unlawful discrimination or harassment of any kind, including discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, religion, veteran status, national origin, ancestry, pregnancy status, sex, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, mental or physical disability, medical condition, sexual orientation or any other characteristics protected by law. We also make all reasonable accommodations to meet our obligations under laws protecting the rights of the disabled.
Our full Code of Conduct can be found here.