Worldwide walk-out by Google staff
Google staff from offices across the world have staged a walk-out to protest against sexual harassment and “a workplace culture that’s not working for everyone.”
Thursday, 01 Nov 2018 15:42 GMT
Staff from offices across the world protested the firm’s treatment of employees
The protest follows news last week (October 25th) that the firm had given a top executive, now named as Andy Rubin, a $90m (£70m) pay-out following accusations of sexual misconduct. The actions of the tech giant have caused uproar amongst its employees prompting a walk out.
In an email to staff obtained by Ars Technica, Google chief executive officer Sundar Pichai said he was “deeply sorry” for the way the firm protected Rubin and two other executives accused of sexual misconduct. Pichai stated he is “fully committed to making progress on an issue that has persisted for far too long in our society. And, yes, here at Google, too.”
In the report by The New York Times, the publication revealed that Google had investigated a complaint of sexual misconduct and deemed the claim against Rubin "credible", following corroborations from other members of staff. Google’s then chief executive officer, Larry Page proceeded to ask for his resignation which prompted the large exit package and concealing of the information which its employees are protesting. Rubin still denies the allegations against him.
... complaints of sexual misconduct, gender inequality and racial discrimination should be dealt with in an appropriate way that does not immediately work to protect those with the most power instead of the victim”
Employees from the firm stated on Twitter using the handle @GoogleWalkout: “We, Google employees and contractors, will walk out on November 1 at 11.10am to demand these five real changes.”
With the tweet, an image of demands set out by staff calling for - “An end to forced arbitration in cases of harassment and discrimination; a commitment to end pay and opportunity inequity; a publicly disclosed sexual harassment transparency report; a clear, uniform, globally-inclusive process for reporting sexual misconduct safely and anonymously; and to elevate the chief diversity officer to answer directly to the CEO and make recommendations directly to the board of directors. In addition, appoint an employee representative to the board.”
Staff from the London, Dublin, Tokyo, Singapore and Zurich offices joined their colleagues in protesting against the firm’s treatment of employees.
Employees in Silicon Valley are commonly subjected to forced arbitration; a clause in their contracts which means disputes have to be dealt with internally and which also prevents the employee from taking legal action. Whilst it may protect the reputation of companies, critics have argued it silences victims who cannot take further action.
Across all industries including print and sign, complaints of sexual misconduct, gender inequality and racial discrimination should be dealt with in an appropriate way that does not immediately work to protect those with the most power instead of the victim.
If you have a news story, email summer@linkpublishing.co.uk or follow us on Twitter to have your say.
