Google employees around the world are walking off the job at 11 a.m. local time Thursday to protest the tech giant’s lenient treatment of executives accused of sexual misconduct.
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The 10-minute walkout is part of a campaign called "Google Walkout for Real Change" and comes on the heels of the New York Times' report last week detailing the company's response to accusations of misconduct by senior executives such as Android software creator Andy Rubin.
According to the Times, Rubin received a $90 million severance package in 2014 even though Google concluded the sexual misconduct allegations against him were credible. Rubin has since denied the allegations.
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The report also revealed disclosed allegations of sexual misconduct of Google executive Richard DeVaul, who resigned Tuesday without severance.
In an email to employees, Google CEO Sundar Pichai and personnel executive Eileen Naughton said the company had fired 48 employees, including 13 senior managers, for “sexual harassment” in recent years without giving any of them severance packages.
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“I understand the anger and disappointment that many of you feel,” Pichai wrote in the email. “I feel it as well, and I am fully committed to making progress on an issue that has persisted for far too long in our society. and, yes, here at Google, too.”
The Thursday walkout campaign, however, suggests employees remain unconvinced change is ahead.
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Employees have listed the following five demands for advancement:
- An end to forced arbitration in cases of harassment and discrimination for all current and future employees.
- A commitment to end pay and opportunity inequity.
- A publicly disclosed sexual harassment transparency report.
- A clear, uniform, globally inclusive process for reporting sexual misconduct safely and anonymously.
- Elevate the chief diversity officer to answer directly to the CEO and make recommendations directly to the board of directors. Appoint an employee rep to the board.
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You can follow the campaign on Twitter by searching the hashtag #GoogleWalkout. Here are some posts so far:
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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