Google Workers: 'Time Is Up on Your Sexual Harassment'

Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Google employees today staged a walkout at the tech giant's headquarters in Mountain View, California, to protest the company'southward handling of workplace sexual harassment.

"Time is up! Time is up!" workers chanted during the rally. "Fourth dimension is upwardly on your sexual harassment."

The Mount View walkout was just ane of peradventure dozens that occurred at Google offices around the earth. However, the rally at the tech giant'southward Mountain View offices may have been the largest, and attracted support from female and male employees.

#Googlewalkout #googlecampus Mount View - Cheers to all the victims who shared their stories, hopefully this will be the start of Existent Modify and accountability ?? pic.twitter.com/hNWJxexkZz
— chinesco (@chinesco) Nov 1, 2022

Staffers from across the Mount View campus headed to the walkout's main gathering area, leaving it packed with people standing shoulder to shoulder. Some carried signs labeled with phrases such as "Don't be evil," and "Workers rights are women's rights."

"At that place are then many stories we've heard for and then long and information technology'southward time for action," Google staffer and walkout cadre organizer Celie O'Neil-Hart told journalists.

Google Walkout 3

The companywide walkout is in response to The New York Times reporting last week that Google gave lucrative exit parcel to two top executives, both of whom resigned over credible sexual misconduct charges. One of the executives, Android founder Andy Rubin, reportedly received $xc million.

However, organizers of the walkout say the Times only provided a snapshot of the workplace sexual harassment employees confront at the company. O'Neil-Hart said organizers have been collecting stories from Google workers to document the bug.

Although Th's walkout at the company headquarters attracted a huge crowd, Google's security staff denied journalists access to attend the rally. Function of that may have been due to fears over what was being said at the walkout. According to O'Neil-Hart, some employees took the microphone during the rally and shared their experiences with sexual harassment.

"I got very emotional. We heard some incredible stories from some incredibly brave women," she said, without elaborating.

From the moment we start at Google, we're told that we aren't just employees; nosotros're owners. The "owners mindset," they telephone call it. The owners minds are made up: #TimesUp. #GoogleWalkout #TimesUpTech pic.twitter.com/j9BviqT3CU
— Celie O'Neil-Hart (@celiehart) November i, 2022

The organizers are calling on Google to make v specific changes. They include an end to "pay and opportunity inequity," and for Google to start publishing a transparency study over sexual harassment cases at the company. The workers also want the ability to bring any workplace sexual harassment and discrimination-related charges in courtroom as opposed through company arbitration.

"We do feel heard and we look forward to seeing action," O'Neil-Hart said. "These demands come up from hundreds of voices beyond the company."

So far, Google hasn't said whether the company will comply with the demands. Only in a statement fabricated yesterday, company CEO Sundar Pichai said Google was going to support employees who wished to join the walkout. "Employees accept raised constructive ideas for how we can improve our policies and our processes going frontwards. Nosotros are taking in all their feedback and so we tin can turn these ideas into activity," he said.

Google Walkout 4

Pichai has also said his company takes workplace sexual harassment seriously. Last week, the company revealed information technology's fired 48 employees for sexual harassment over the by two years. Xiii of the employees were senior manager or above and none received an exit package. Notwithstanding, the company has non denied paying millions to Android founder Andy Rubin or senior executive Amit Singhal subsequently they resigned.

Well-nigh Google employees who attended the rally at the company'due south headquarters on Th declined to speak with the printing. Merely visitor software engineer JJ Wanda said he has "friends and family who have been sexually harassed, time and fourth dimension over again.

"While I personally haven't been harassed, I've seen friends get injure, and had their careers destroyed by this. Not just at Google, but everywhere in all forms of tech," he told PCMag.

Organizers of the walkout say Google employees from threescore percent of the visitor'southward offices across the earth joined the protest. At the Mount View rally, most of the employees left 40 minutes into the walkout. Still, some stayed and gave speeches for another hour before the walkout appeared to finish.

"This is just the beginning. Do non forget that, " said 1 worker giving a speech at the walkout. "Stand upward."