Google agrees with Department of Labor on allegations of discrimination against workers

Google agrees with Department of Labor on allegations of discrimination against workers

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The company is expected to pay more than $ 2.5 million to approximately 5,500 employees and job seekers who are allegedly undercompensated or facing.

The settlement settles allegations that the company discriminated against women and Asian candidates for engineering roles in some of its West Coast offices. The department has also reportedly found wage gaps that disadvantage women in positions for software engineering.

The allegations arose from regular compliance reviews conducted between 2014 and 2017. Department officials reflected Monday’s settlement Google (GOOG)willingness to reach an “early solution” to the issue.
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“We believe that everyone should be paid based on the work they do, not who they are, and that we should invest heavily to make our hiring and compensation processes fair and unbiased,” a Google spokesman said. a statement to CNN Business said. “We are delighted that we have resolved this issue related to the allegations of the 2014-2017 audits and that we remain committed to diversity and fairness and to supporting our people in a way that enables them to do their best. to do work. “

Google, like many of its peers in the technology industry, has been scrutinized for treating women, minorities, and workers in general. Over the past few months, the company has faced a trade union pressure as well as a controversy over the departure of a respected leader in ethical artificial intelligence research.

As part of the settlement, Google will pay more than $ 1.3 million to compensate about 2,500 software engineers who allegedly experience negotiation discrimination, according to the Department of Labor. And it will also pay more than $ 1.2 million to reimburse non-appointed candidates as a result of alleged discrimination on rent.

A separate $ 1.25 million fund will be set up for five years of “salary adjustments” for Google’s engineering staff working in Mountain View, California; two offices in the Seattle area; and New York.

“Google has agreed to proactively improve future compliance and review its current policies, procedures, and practices regarding hiring, compensation, analysis, and corrective action to ensure non-discrimination,” the department said in a release.

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