Our approach to working with suppliers and staffing partners around the world

Since Google began contracting, we’ve always strived to select top suppliers and staffing partners from around the world. We partner with these outside companies on a contractual basis to provide a specialised service or to temporarily cover a short-term need. In an era of specialisation, global supply chains and project-based work, this approach is widespread among many large companies.

The employees of suppliers and staffing partners — vendors and temporary staff, respectively — and independent contractors who are self-employed, make up our extended workforce. They play an important role for Google, and we care about their experience working with our company. However, extended workforce members are not, and have never been, Google employees. Vendors and temporary staff are solely employed by our suppliers and staffing partners.

Our supplier and staffing partner policies are designed to ensure our work with these companies remains clear, well defined and consistent globally. Since their employees are only on assignment to us for a limited time, our policies ensure that they have exactly what they need to do their work with us – no more, no less. They also ensure that we’re operating as efficiently as possible and well within labour and legal parameters around the world.

For instance, our longstanding Supplier Code of Conduct governs our work with all suppliers and staffing partners. We routinely vet each and every company we work with — and investigate compliance when necessary — against this policy to ensure extended workforce members are provided safe working conditions no matter where they are located while on assignment to Google. It also makes clear that our suppliers and staffing partners, as the employers, set and provide all working conditions for their own employees, including wages and benefits.

It’s important to us that everyone in our community is treated fairly and with respect. Our company-wide Google Code of Conduct applies to everyone doing work for or with us. Extended workforce members are expected to abide by these, and have access to the same helpline as Google employees to report concerns (including anonymously). They also can raise concerns through their employers directly.

Most of all, we hold ourselves accountable and ensure the integrity of our contracting practices through tools like our Supplier Diversity program. We respect the labour rights of everyone working on Google projects. And we will keep working hard to make improvements to promote a respectful and positive workplace for everyone — employees, vendors, temporary staff and independent contractors alike.