“Googlers” Unmasked: Uncovering the Truth Behind the 9-to-5 Myth

Last month, the Internet erupted in debate when Narayan Murthy, Infosys co-founder and billionaire, suggested that Indian youth should work 70 hours a week to help India better compete with the likes of China. Some expressed support for this sentiment, but the majority criticized Murthy for setting unhealthy expectations. Now in the midst of this controversy, a CNBC report has revealed the number of hours Google employees work and offers a perspective on the matter.

Google is definitely one of the most sought after companies to work with companies like Apple, Microsoft and Adobe. And with its work culture and impressive offices, it’s easy to see why. But how many hours do Googlers actually work in a day? Well, according to CNBC it’s usually around 8 hours, but it can be more.

CNBC cites an internal company memo in which an employee asked to work fewer hours per day but more days per week. “Most Googlers already work 8+ hour days on weekdays,” CNBC quoted an HR representative as saying.

He added: “No one is 120% FTE [Full Time Employee] to do normal FT work at Google, so doing a compressed 100% schedule is not really realistic.”

CNBC also revealed what Google spokesperson Courtenay Mencini had to say on the matter. He said “Googlers” can request more flexible schedules, but their approval is based on the level role and the team. “Like any business, our employees sometimes work more than 40 hours a week to meet deadlines, cover for teammates, or deliver products and services to our users,” he said.

So yes, Google is pretty flexible and has a great work environment, but their employees are still expected to work 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. That’s pretty standard in the tech industry. So if you feel down about working 8 hours a day, just remember that Googlers do too.