the people analyst guides · Laszlo Bock, 2015
The People Analyst Guide to Work Rules
Bock's Work Rules! is the most influential operator's account of building Google's people practices. This companion takes each theme, checks it against the peer-reviewed research (and where 2015 needs the AI-era update), and turns it into something you can actually run — the people-analytics method and the toolbox analysis behind it. Not a summary; a way to execute the book with measurement.
Start here — the guided path →The chapters
Act like a founder — build the culture you want deliberately, from the start.
The analysis you can runFounding-values & culture-type diagnostic; CAMS-Alignment.
Mission + transparency + voice are the culture pillars; default to high transparency.
The analysis you can runJustice-perception / felt-fairness analysis + a psychological-safety pulse.
Invest in hiring over training; hire above the median; hire slowly.
The analysis you can runHiring-quality + selection-utility analysis.
Build a self-replicating talent machine — sourcing, referrals, aim higher.
The analysis you can runRecruiting-funnel + source-quality analysis.
Unstructured interviews barely predict; use structured interviews + work samples + GMA, scored consistently.
The analysis you can runStructured-interview validity + interrater-reliability (κ / α / G-theory).
Strip status symbols; give real voice and autonomy (high-freedom default).
The analysis you can runAutonomy / voice pulse; CAMS-Motivation.
Separate development from ratings; goals (OKRs); calibrate; don't let the review eat the year.
The analysis you can runRating-reliability / calibration analysis (G-theory) + OKR tracking.
Manage the best and the struggling very differently; talent isn't normally distributed.
The analysis you can runPerformance-distribution / star-identification (distribution-aware).
Deliberate practice; teach internally; judge learning by behavior change, not satisfaction.
The analysis you can runLearning-impact / transfer analysis.
Pay should vary widely with contribution; wide internal inequality is fine — if the process is fair.
The analysis you can runPay-fairness analysis (already built) + a felt-fairness panel.
Non-cash benefits, community, and frugal generosity move people; small things compound.
The analysis you can runBenefits / well-being utilization analysis.
Choice architecture works; small nudges change behavior; run experiments.
The analysis you can runExperiment / nudge analysis (EVPI/EVSI + confidence intervals).
Tell the failures and the lessons; intellectual humility; pre-register.
The analysis you can runExperiment registry + pre-registration honesty.
The synthesis — Bock's ten rules, made executable.
The analysis you can runThe Work Rules starter pack — the per-chapter analyses bundled into one guided path.