In response to the recent worldwide protests, Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced that the company would agree to the first demand made by the organizers.
Thousands of Google employees participated in the protests and voiced their reactions to the company’s inadequate response to sexual harassment allegations. In addition to their demand to end forced arbitration, the protestors also argued for a commitment to end pay inequality, more transparency in sexual harassment reports, and more uniform policies and protocols for reporting sexual misconduct.
So far, the company has only agreed to meet the demand to end mandatory arbitration. The process is quasi-legal dispute resolution that tends to favor corporations over individuals. It will now be optional for individual sexual harassment and sexual assault claims at Google.
The company also noted that there will be a “global process that will allow Googlers to be accompanied by a companion during an HR investigation, or when raising/reporting any harassment or discrimination concerns to HR.”
Additional Resources
Google ends mandatory arbitration in sexual harassment cases, Ars Technica, November 8, 2018
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