By "volunteering" I assume they mean the fact that you can choose what to do with that time, assuming you actually have it, within the context of the company. So it is an actual choice you have as to what to work on, which isn't usually the case with your normal job duties.
Whether those hours end up being unpaid overtime ("120% time") or not varies wildly from time to time and team to team, in my experience there. I had a real 20% project while I was there ~8 years ago (porting modern Linux to a vendor device Google used internally), but I also stayed late quite often too; I can't say I know for sure how it added up in the end.
Sounds like this is a term used to make them happy about working additional paid time on a Google-owned product. I mean, if they spent this volunteer time (even if paid) on a public good, I could appreciate that, but choosing to do paid work on your own company's money-making products is not volunteering, it's just regular work but you choose what to work on during 20% of your time.
> but choosing to do paid work on your own company's money-making products is not volunteering, it's just regular work but you choose what to work on during 20% of your time.
Disclosure: Google employee, opinion my own.
You are right, but that blog post is using volunteer in the weaker (but nonetheless common) meaning of "someone who raises their hand to do something". 20% time, when done properly, is more of an employee wellness and career/skill building perk. It is like your employer giving you paid time to take a class or training that is related to your job.
When you get evaluated during performance reviews, do your 20% time projects count? If not, it seems like you are just doing a side project in your free time but giving any IP that results to Google. If it does count toward perf, then cool, it’s nice to have complete autonomy for that 20% of your workload.
Performance reviews are how managers provide positive or negative reinforcement for employees who do or don’t further the organization’s goals. Does a really cool 20% time project count toward that if it isn’t related to my work? Does the manager have any incentive to value it (since they get evaluated on progress on the larger team’s goals)?
Every sane boss I’ve had has been happy if I do things that are good for the org, doubly so if they were ideas that I came up with myself for efforts that wouldn’t have happened otherwise. Is 20% time different from this somehow?
Whether those hours end up being unpaid overtime ("120% time") or not varies wildly from time to time and team to team, in my experience there. I had a real 20% project while I was there ~8 years ago (porting modern Linux to a vendor device Google used internally), but I also stayed late quite often too; I can't say I know for sure how it added up in the end.