Employees in Google’s Dublin office joined their colleagues around the world last week by participating in a walkout. The demonstration took place at 11.10 am Dublin time as part of a worldwide work stoppage by Google employees to protest against how allegations of harassment have been dealt with by the tech giant. The protest reflects a growing trend in the workplace whereby employees are demanding more of their employers.
Cover up culture
The protest follows recent reports that former Google technology executive, Andy Rubin received a $90 million severance package which concealed allegations of sexual misconduct that triggered his exit from the business in 2014. Mr Rubin has since denied the allegations. More recently, Richard DeVaul, a senior executive at Google’s X Lab has left the Google group following historical allegations of inappropriate advances he made towards a female job candidate in 2013. Organisers of the protest advised colleagues to leave a flyer on their desk stating “I’m not at my desk because I’m out in solidarity with other Googlers and contractors to protest against sexual harassment, misconduct, lack of transparency and a workplace culture that’s not working for everyone”.
Don’t be evil
Google famously launched with a corporate philosophy of “don’t be evil”. The motto has since been removed from the Google Code of Conduct but it certainly resonated with employees who enjoyed working for an organisation that reflected their own values. Today’s protest suggests that employees are of the view that the organisation has since departed from its founding values. Employees have voted with their feet by demanding that positive action be taken to restore the trust of the workforce.
Employees demand return to core values
The protest focuses in particular on pay inequality and the handling of sexual misconduct complaints. Organisers of the protest outlined the following five demands from Google:
- an end to forced arbitration in cases of harassment and discrimination
- a commitment to end pay and opportunity inequality
- a publicly disclosed sexual harassment transparency report
- a clear, uniform and globally inclusive process for reporting sexual misconduct safely and anonymously, and
- Google’s chief diversity officer to report directly to the chief executive and make recommendations directly to the board of directors — in addition, an employee representative should be added to the board of directors.
Societal impacts on the workplace
The walkout by Google employees reflects how movements such as #MeToo and #TimesUp together with a greater awareness of the gender pay gap are combining to put more pressure on employers. Pay inequality and discrimination are simply no longer tolerated in the contemporary workplace. The modern employee, particularly in times of low unemployment, will hold employers to a higher standard. Just as there has been an erosion of trust in authority and political institutions in wider society, employers are also facing increased scrutiny from employees to operate in accordance with their stated values. The protest at Google demonstrates that the modern workforce is no longer prepared to work for an employer who fails to uphold its stated values. To succeed in business, modern-day employers must provide a workplace where all employees are fairly compensated, the safety of all employees is assured, the opinions of all employees are heard and the values of the organisation are instilled into operations.
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