More than 500 employees of the Alphabet have signed an open letter demanding that Google protect its subjects from harassment complaints. The move comes two days after former Google engineer Emi Nietfeld wrote an op-ed The New York Times claims she was forced to have one-on-one meetings with the man who harassed her – and sat next to him in the office – even after she filed an HR complaint.
“This is a long pattern in which Alphabet protects the harasser instead of protecting the person harmed by the harassment,” the letter reads. “The person who reports harassment is forced to bear the burden and usually leaves Alphabet while their harasser remains or is rewarded for his behavior.”
Workers make two demands in the letter. First, that Google deprives harassers of their immediate reports and ensures that “no harasser should run or lead a team.” Secondly, that they force harassers to change teams if the claims are verified so that employees do not have to work with their harasser.
“I am delighted to see this letter,” Nietfeld said in a telephone interview with him. The edge. ‘It reminds me of how wonderful some of my former colleagues were and why I loved working with them. Google hires so many people who are passionate about doing the right thing. It is so unfortunate if the system prevents them from doing so. ”
Andrew Gainer-Dewar, a software engineer at Google and a member of the Alphabet Workers Union, says Nietfeld’s experience underscores the need for collective action. “Someone who is credibly accused of harassment should certainly not drive people,” he says. The edge. ‘And someone who already was found to have people harassed should definitely not drive people. ”
Nietfeld’s story highlights concerns raised by Google employees in 2018 following the Andy Rubin scandal. Rubin, who was co-founder of Android, was paid $ 90 million, although he was credibly accused of sexual misconduct. When these allegations came to light, 20,000 Google employees walked out to protest sexual harassment against the company.
One of the demands of organizers for hikes was an end to the forced arbitration clause in Google contracts. While Google removed the employee clause, it did not remove it for contractors or workers at other Alphabet companies.
In the letter, this omission is mentioned directly. “Alphabet has not changed and does not meet any of the Google Walkout requirements (employees, vendors, contractors and employees of Alphabet companies other than Google are still forced to arbitrate),” the letter reads. ‘We’ve discussed these issues before. The Google Walkout claims are still pending! ”
In a statement to The edge, a Google spokesman stressed that the company has changed its handling of harassment claims since the strike took place. “We have made significant improvements to our overall process, including the way we deal with and investigate employees’ concerns, and the introduction of new employee care programs that report their problems,” a spokesman said. “Reporting misconduct requires courage and we will continue to improve our processes and support for the people who do it.”