时间：2025-05-01 08:01:27 来源：网络整理编辑：探索
Google has free food and nap pods—but several employees say it also has hostile managers. Mere
Google has free food and nap pods—but several employees say it also has hostile managers.
Meredith Whittaker and Claire Stapleton were both organizers of the Walkout for Real Change in November, during which 200,000 employees "walked out" to protest sexual misconduct, "golden parachutes" for the accused, and other forms of discrimination at Google.
On Monday, the two Google employees sent out an internal letter detailing the ways management has allegedly retaliated against multiple employee organizers, Wiredreported.
The walkout was a watershed moment for employees that resulted in progressive changes to some Google policies. However, in the months since, both organizers have felt their work environments change drastically for the worse, and they report that "several" organizers have had similar experiences.
SEE ALSO:San Francisco Google employees walk out in protest of sexual harassmentGoogle refuted the claims, stating that "there has been no retaliation here," according to a spokesperson. But the organizers' stories — of getting demoted, sidelined, and isolated by management — paint a picture of the divisions within Google around employee activism, and what it feels like to speak out for change at one of the most powerful companies in the world.
"Retaliation isn’t always obvious," Whittaker and Stapleton wrote. "It’s often confusing and drawn out, consisting of icy conversations, gaslighting, project cancellations, transition rejections, or demotions. Behavior that tells someone the problem isn’t that they stood up to the company, it’s that they’re not good enough and don’t belong."
They also invited employees to attend a "Retaliation Town Hall" Friday, where people can share their own stories and organize against retaliation.
"If we want to stop discrimination, harassment, and unethical decision making, we need to end retaliation against the people who speak honestly about these problems," the organizers wrote.
"Retaliation isn't always obvious."
Google is refuting Whittaker and Stapleton's claims, and standing by the actions of management, while maintaining that it investigates all allegations of retaliation.
“We prohibit retaliation in the workplace, and investigate all allegations," a Google spokeswoman said. "Employees and teams are regularly and commonly given new assignments, or reorganized, to keep pace with evolving business needs. There has been no retaliation here.”
Whittaker and Stapleton see it differently; both felt that their work as employee organizers impacted their treatment by management. Supervisors recently informed Whittaker that she would have to abandon her work on AI ethics both inside and outside of Google if she wanted to keep her job. Stapleton was demoted and told to go on medical leave, even though she was not sick. She re-gained her position after bringing on a personal attorney to investigate the issue.
In addition to the personal blowback the two faced, the organizers said that retaliation is a part of the culture at Google — a strong statement that contradicts the company's former reputation as a hub for honest and open employee feedback. The two write that the 350+ testimonials gathered during the Walkout show that "a sad pattern emerges: people who stand up and report discrimination, abuse, and unethical conduct are punished, sidelined, and pushed out. Perpetrators often go unimpeded, or are even rewarded."
Google employees may not be unionized, but their internal organizing follows a broader trend of tech employees mobilizing to make changes in their work place, and an increase in unionization in knowledge industries, like media and academia. Google says that it has a policy against retaliation. Retaliation for engaging in "protected activities," such as reporting workplace discrimination, is prohibited by national labor law.
In tech, employees don’t seem to regard the Bosses as untouchable celebrities anymore. And if these reports about retaliation at Google are true, that's probably for the better.
TopicsActivismGoogle
Snapchat is about to explode in popularity, report says2025-05-01 07:57
And the all2025-05-01 07:57
Prince Charles is a brilliant Harry Potter reader who does 'all the voices'2025-05-01 07:53
LG to launch another big2025-05-01 07:49
Sound the alarms: Simone Biles finally met Zac Efron2025-05-01 06:57
Google finally releases GIF2025-05-01 06:38
Guilty pug has the absolute worst poker face of all time2025-05-01 05:42
Pandas are great at climbing trees and also great at falling out of them2025-05-01 05:33
What brands need to know about virtual reality2025-05-01 05:32
This 'Game of Thrones' moment was the biggest one on YouTube2025-05-01 05:26
Over 82,000 evacuate as Blue Cut fire rapidly spreads in southern California2025-05-01 07:51
Kim Kardashian got mommy2025-05-01 07:07
These guys covered 'Baby on Board' from The Simpsons on a rooftop2025-05-01 07:02
Martin Landau, 'Mission Impossible,' 'North by Northwest' actor, dead at 892025-05-01 06:56
Teacher absolutely nails it with new homework policy2025-05-01 06:35
'Walking Dead' trailer seems to confirm major fan theory about Rick2025-05-01 05:54
Maybe stop bashing millennials with your obnoxious job ad if you want people to apply2025-05-01 05:52
A new 'Game of Thrones' beer is here to mark the arrival of winter2025-05-01 05:39
Australian football makes history with first LGBT Pride Game2025-05-01 05:27
Hulk talk better in 'Thor: Ragnarok' (and refuse turn back into Banner)2025-05-01 05:19
SEE ALSO:San Francisco Google employees walk out in protest of sexual harassment