Google Walkout: Over 20,000 Employees Protest Against Sexism And Workplace Harassment

• Google employees are unhappy about how the tech giant handled sexual harassment allegations against top executives.
• Over 20% of the 94,372-strong workforce participated in a global walkout.
• The event saw employees from 14 countries participate to make their voices heard.

Reports of Android co-founder Andy Rubin being paid $90 million despite being held accountable for sexual assault led to a massive protest at Google. Over 20,000 Google employees from 14 countries walked out of their workplaces to protest against the company’s handling of the situation.

The mass global walkout saw over 20% of the global workforce participate, which includes both full-time and contracted employees. Google employee Tanuja Gupta revealed “We have the eyes of many companies looking at us. We’ve always been a vanguard company, so if we don’t lead the way, nobody else will.”

For immediate release: 20,000 Google employees and contractors participated in “global walkout for real change” in 50 cities worldwide on November 1, 2018. https://t.co/cOGmohJaEw #GoogleWalkout

— Google Walkout For Real Change (@GoogleWalkout) November 2, 2018

Employees from Google’s offices located in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Ireland, Japan, the Netherlands, Philippines, the UK, Singapore, Sweden, and Switzerland participated in the protest and successfully got the attention of the company’s senior officials. Google CEO Sundar Pichai will be meeting the organizers of the protest on Monday and will be addressing the employees’ demands.

The employees have demanded an end to any forced arbitration, which prevents the legal justice system from being involved. The company has also been asked to end any pay-and-opportunity inequity. A sexual harassment transparency report that needs to be publicly disclosed is also one of the demands of the employees and an inclusive process to report any kind of sexual misconduct at any Google workplace. The organizers want the Chief Diversity Officer to answer directly to CEO Sundar Pichai and make recommendations to the company’s directors without any barriers to communication.

The tech giant has not yet commented on any of the demands, and we will know more after the CEO meets with the organizers. The company has been requested to appoint an official employee to represent the workforce at board meetings. According to one of the organizers, the company has been unable to meet the basics of respect, fairness, and justice for its employees despite being famous for its diverse culture.

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