Google’s cover up sparks worldwide walkout and change in policy

By Hayley Thompson
December 11, 2018

At the end of October, The New York Times broke news that Google paid one of their senior executives, Andy Rubin, $90 million to resign after a credible sexual misconduct claim. Over 20,000 employees around the world staged a walkout to protest how the company handled this issue.

The main goal of this walkout was to stand for an end to forced arbitration, a system for anonymously reporting harassment and directly being reported to only the CEO. Google has been protecting their employees for decades by staying silent about the accusations made against them. Google has paid some of the accused millions of dollars for their departure despite having credible sexual harassment claims.

Google employee Jennifer Brown carries sign in San Francisco that says “I reported and he got promoted.” Photo by Jessica Christian on Twitter

Andy Rubin, the creator of the Android mobile software, was praised when he left the company in 2014. In a public statement made by Larry Page, Google’s chief executive at the time, it was evident that Rubin’s farewell was bittersweet. “I want to wish Andy all the best with what’s next. With Android he created something truly remarkable — with a billion-plus happy users.”

What Google failed to do was make the accusations against Rubin public. Instead of firing Rubin, Google decided to pay him $90 million in monthly installments of $2 million. The last payment was scheduled for this month. By doing this, Google silenced the victim. However, protesters are fighting to have their voices heard.

One of the signs held at the walkout in the UK. Photo by Information Age on Twitter

The Google walkout began in Asia and spread across the continents. It was planned for 11 a.m. in local time zones. Many people took to social media to spread the message with the hashtag #GoogleWalkout. One of the signs spread with the hashtag in NYC said, “What do I do Google? I work hard every day so the company can afford $90,000,000 payouts to execs who sexually harass my coworkers.” A Twitter page was also created to further spread the word and to provide helpful information.

After a nationwide walkout for Google, the company has, in fact, decided to end forced arbitration. Google changed the policy the first week of November to having arbitration optional when it comes to sexual misconduct. They pledged to provide more information to staff about these investigations and the outcomes. They will also expand mandatory training on this issue.

“I believe training on this issue is a must,” junior psychology major Paola Cabrera said. “When it comes to the safety and the voicing of your opinion as a worker you should feel as if you always have a say.”

The Google walkout in Berlin, Germany. Photo by Ten Media on Twitter

Google’s chief executive officer, Sudar Pichai, wrote a public message to Google employees. “Going forward, we will provide more transparency on how we handle concerns. We’ll give better support and care to the people who raise them. And we will double down on our commitment to be a representative, equitable and respectful workplace.”

Although the goal of ending arbitration was met, Google protesters still hope for more. They hope that Google will make their internal report on harassment public and put an employee representative on the board. They were also concerned about temporary workers, vendors and contractors. It is evident that all of the protesters concerns will not be met at once. However, they are certainly taking steps in the right direction.

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Hayley Thompson

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