Google's '#metoo' moment: Workers walk out over women's rights

[webfact]

Google's '#metoo' moment: Workers walk out over women's rights

By Jane Lanhee Lee and Paresh Dave

 

Google employees walk to a "women's walkout" at their Googleplex offices in protest over the company's handling of a large payout to Android chief Andy Rubin as well as concerns over several other managers who had allegedly engaged in sexual misconduct at the company in Mountain View, California, U.S., November 1, 2018. REUTERS/Stephen Lam

 

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (Reuters) - Thousands of Google employees around the world briefly walked off their jobs on Thursday to protest the company's response to sexual harassment and demand that the world's largest search engine address rising concerns about workplace inequality.

 

The protests took place in waves, beginning in Asia and then streaming across Europe and North America, with the final wave occurring at Google's headquarters in Mountain View, California.

 

The protests, which drew Google contract workers as well as employees, followed a New York Times report last week that Google in 2014 gave a $90 million exit package to a senior vice president, Andy Rubin, after he was accused of sexual harassment.

 

“This was the $90 million straw that broke the camel’s back," Celie O’Neil-Hart, one of the protest organizers and who works on YouTube marketing, told reporters as she joined hundreds of other employees in the courtyard of Google's Mountain View headquarters. "But there are so many stories that we’ve heard for so long, and it’s time for action and change," said O'Neil-Hart as she teared up.

 

Rubin denied the allegation in the New York Times story, which he said contained "wild exaggerations" about his compensation. Google did not dispute the report.

 

Organizers said about 60 percent of Google's offices participated, including Dublin, the company's largest site outside the United States, as well as London, Zurich, Berlin and Singapore. They shared photographs on social media of hundreds leaving offices.

 

Many employees at the Mountain View walkout chanted “Women’s rights are workers rights," and some wore blue ribbons in support of sexual harassment victims.

 

Seven U.S. employees who organized the demonstrations called on Google parent Alphabet Inc <GOOGL.O> to make harassment investigations fairer for accusers, share pay-equity data with workers and add an employee representative to its board.

 

Google Chief Executive Sundar Pichai, speaking an hour later at a New York Times conference in New York, said he was taking note of the "concrete steps" workers presented to improve the company's culture and human resources processes.

 

"I want to make sure Google sets the bar," he said, noting that a lack of gender and racial diversity was part of the issue. "We're grappling with it, as with many places."

 

Organizers and other employees said Google executives, like leaders at the dozens of companies affected by the #metoo movement, have been slow to address numerous structural issues such as unchecked power of male executives.

 

They want Google to publicly report its sexual harassment statistics and end forced arbitration in harassment cases. They also have asked that the chief diversity officer be able to directly advise the board.

 

Rana Abdelhamid, who works in Google Cloud's marketing division in San Francisco, told reporters that the walkout was "about safety of women in the workplace," adding that Google's historical support for women's causes caused her to be shocked when she learned of the multi-million-dollar payout.

 

"The numbers and facts don't match with the intentions" of Google on equality and safety for underrepresented groups, she told Reuters. "We need to reprioritize energy and really focus on these issues."

 

MONTHS OF BUILDUP

Since its founding two decades ago, Google has been known for its motto "don't be evil," a dictum preserved in its worker code of conduct, and its transparency with employees about corporate strategy.

 

But employees have internally organized for months to increase diversity and improve treatment of women and minorities.

 

Those issues have been top of mind since the 2016 election of U.S. President Donald Trump, a Republican, stunned Silicon Valley, where liberal and libertarian policies are popular.

 

Tech workers have become more vocal to protest both the president's and their companies' stances on immigration, defence and discrimination. Workers have said that they are driven by the sense that their technology pioneer employers should also be standard bearers on socioeconomic issues.

 

"We all know that the status quo is unacceptable and if there is any company who can solve this, it is Google,” said Thomas Kneeland, a Google software engineer in New York.

 

The dissatisfaction among Alphabet's 94,000 employees and tens of thousands contractors has not noticeably affected the company's share price. But employees, who warned they would demonstrate again if needed, expect Alphabet to face recruiting and retention challenges if their concerns go unaddressed.

 

Alphabet shares closed down 0.4 percent to $1,085.98 on Thursday.

 

Around the world, Google workers walked out carrying signs reading "Time's up Tech," "Happy to quit for $90M - no sexual harassment required" and "Not OK Google," a reference to the "OK Google" phrase used to activate Google's voice-operated Assistant.

 

Cathay Bi, a Google product manager, speaking through a megaphone before hundreds gathered in a bustling pedestrian plaza in San Francisco's financial district, talked about the engines of change.

 

"This is what it means to be 'Googley,'" she urged the crowd to chant, invoking a widely used term for the company's culture. "People don't change because of law and policies. Laws and policies change because of people."

 

(Reporting by Paresh Dave in San Francisco and Jane Lanhan Lee in Mountain View; Additional reporting by Padraic Halpin and Graham Fahy in Dublin, Angela Moon in New York; Editing by Leslie Adler)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-11-02

[car720]

when you are making a boatload of money every week then you can afford to do these sorts of things but meanwhile the rest of us have to keep on keeping on, and putting up with.

[Chomper Higgot]

40 minutes ago, car720 said:

when you are making a boatload of money every week then you can afford to do these sorts of things but meanwhile the rest of us have to keep on keeping on, and putting up with.

This protest started in Singapore.

 

People taking collective action against their employer in Singapore is an incredibly brave thing to do.

 

Those that walked out in Singapore have each placed their liberty on the line.

 

When was the last time you stood up for something you believe in?

[car720]

4 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

This protest started in Singapore.

 

People taking collective action against their employer in Singapore is an incredibly brave thing to do.

 

Those that walked out in Singapore have each placed their liberty on the line.

 

When was the last time you stood up for something you believe in?

Every time I order a beer.

You make it sound as if Singapore is a gulag instead of one of the freest countries in the world.  Least it was when I last lived there.

Edited November 2, 2018 by car720

[BritManToo]

Bet Google is wishing they employed a few less women now.

It's a funny old world, women with all their importance walk out, and nobody notices any difference, if men were to all walk out the lights would go out in an hour.

Edited November 2, 2018 by BritManToo

[Chomper Higgot]

1 hour ago, BritManToo said:

Bet Google is wishing they employed a few less women now.

It's a funny old world, women with all their importance walk out, and nobody notices any difference, if men were to all walk out the lights would go out in an hour.

“It's a funny old world, women with all their importance walk out, and nobody notices any difference, if men were to all walk out the lights would go out in an hour.“

 

I was under the impression you lived in Thailand, it seems I was wrong.

[khunken]

3 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Bet Google is wishing they employed a few less women now.

It's a funny old world, women with all their importance walk out, and nobody notices any difference, if men were to all walk out the lights would go out in an hour.

Ah another misogynist. Did you even read the Op? Even in the pic there are as many men (if not more) walking to support the protest against the disgusting pay-off of the alleged creep.

[BritManToo]

11 minutes ago, khunken said:

Ah another misogynist. Did you even read the Op? Even in the pic there are as many men (if not more) walking to support the protest against the disgusting pay-off of the alleged creep.

They're probably afraid they'll be accused next if they don't comply.

There's a huge fear of women in the workplace by men in the west.

[khunken]

1 minute ago, BritManToo said:

They're probably afraid they'll be accused next if they don't comply.

There's a huge fear of women in the workplace by men in the west.

Total rubbish. Neither is true and both sexes in large numbers have had enough of 'pussy grabbing' & other violations that is only advocated by the likes of Trump and other cave-like-dwelling woman-haters/abusers.

[BritManToo]

49 minutes ago, khunken said:

Total rubbish. Neither is true and both sexes in large numbers have had enough of 'pussy grabbing' & other violations that is only advocated by the likes of Trump and other cave-like-dwelling woman-haters/abusers.

White knighting in action.

Despite the fact you needed to move to SEA to get a bit of female attention.

 

If the guy that got 'removed' managed to leverage himself $90M as a going away gift, good luck to him.

Anyway, putting you on ignore, can't be bothered with your sort.

Edited November 2, 2018 by BritManToo

[khunken]

13 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

White knighting in action.

Despite the fact you needed to move to SEA to get a bit of female attention.

 

If the guy that got 'removed' managed to leverage himself $90M as a going away gift, good luck to him.

Anyway, putting you on ignore, can't be bothered with your sort.

On ignore, the loser's respite! Great - no more bs replies.

[Credo]

3 hours ago, BritManToo said:

They're probably afraid they'll be accused next if they don't comply.

There's a huge fear of women in the workplace by men in the west.

I think it has more to do with the $90 million, that you mentioned, than the direct charge.   It's pretty telling if someone has inappropriate sexual contact with someone and get's fired and paid off with that amount of money.   

 

$90 million is a pretty big reward for paying touchy-feely with someone against their wishes.   I doubt anyone other than the upper echeleons of the company would get anything other than the boot.

 

 

[TPI]

22 hours ago, car720 said:

Every time I order a beer.

You make it sound as if Singapore is a gulag instead of one of the freest countries in the world.  Least it was when I last lived there.

Obviously on an ex-pat package! In s'pore your life is absolutely channelled from the cradle to the grave. Try taking your prep student out of their designated "stream", good luck with that! As a Singaporean you could always try and get a job not run by Singapore Technologies, good luck with that as well and don't even think about criticising the government in any way, you could find yourself out on the causeway without a passport! 

[car720]

19 hours ago, TPI said:

Obviously on an ex-pat package! In s'pore your life is absolutely channelled from the cradle to the grave. Try taking your prep student out of their designated "stream", good luck with that! As a Singaporean you could always try and get a job not run by Singapore Technologies, good luck with that as well and don't even think about criticising the government in any way, you could find yourself out on the causeway without a passport! 

What the hell are you on about.

When I live in Singapore I live in Geylang, usually Lorong Enam.

So if you know the Lion City at all you will know that I don't exactly fit into any expat package and never have.  

I used to run a bar in the original Bugis Street if that counts for anything at all.

[canuckamuck]

Couldn't have happened to a better company. I hope they do it weekly.

[sukhumvitneon]

If all men walked out of their jobs, society would last until the next oil change needed to be performed

[DrTuner]

Google has become institutionalized years ago, no longer innovative. Instead they're running into these sorts of problems. Overstaffed with mediocrities.