Publications
Publications
- October 2019
- HBS Case Collection
Google: To TVC or Not to TVC?
By: William R. Kerr and Carl Kreitzberg
Abstract
A Teaching Note for the "Google: To TVC or Not to TVC?" case study (HBS#820-048). The case discusses recent controversies regarding how Google manages temporary help agency workers, workers supplied by vendors, and independent contractors ("TVCs"). Such TVCs reportedly made up half of the company's workforce in late 2018. Following Google as a protagonist, this case study facilitates a broad discussion about the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and risks inherent in the TVC model. It helps students understand the macroeconomic and strategic forces that made flexible work arrangements prominent at large tech companies, such as Google. The case also invites students to consider whether the number of such arrangements will shrink, grow, or stay the same. Finally, the case allows students to reflect on the implications that different employment models can have on workers, which in turn affects society as a whole.
Keywords
Workforce; Independent Contractors; Talent Management; Silicon Valley; Google; Employee Attitude; Employee Compensation; Employee Engagement; Future Of Work; Innovation; Innovation And Strategy; Inequality; Talent Acquisition; Labor; Talent and Talent Management; Strategy; Technological Innovation; Employees; Attitudes; Innovation and Management; Human Resources; Information Technology Industry; United States; San Francisco
Citation
Kerr, William R., and Carl Kreitzberg. "Google: To TVC or Not to TVC?" Harvard Business School Teaching Note 820-049, October 2019.
About The Author
