Google drops the ball on child care - Brin hacked off with blagging staff members

By Dave Murray @ Monday, July 07, 2008 9:48 AM

Section - Business/Financials

Search engine company Google seems to have lost a lot of PR points by trying to increase the price of its much-touted childcare provision.

According to News.com, two months ago Google held a series of secret focus groups with employees who have children in its day care facilities, with the idea of seeing how a 75 per cent increase in what it charged went down

Under the new plan, parents with two kids in Google day care would most likely see their annual day care bill grow to more than $57,000 from around $33,000. Apparently parents at the focus group cried when word leaked out and they heard the news. Many said that if Google bought about the increase they would have to leave.

It does not seem that Google is backing down. It will reduce the price hike and roll it out over five quarters but that is as far as it goes. Google co-founder Sergey Brin was quoted as saying he had no sympathy for the parents, and that he was tired of 'Googlers' who felt entitled to perks like 'bottled water and M&Ms'

Google has denied Brin ever said that, but News.com found several people at the meeting who said he did. X

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