Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Google employees today staged a walkout at the tech giant's headquarters in Mountain View, California, to protest the company's handling of workplace sexual harassment.
"Time is up! Time is up!" workers chanted during the rally. "Time is up on your sexual harassment."
The Mountain View walkout was just one of possibly dozens that occurred at Google offices around the world. However, the rally at the tech giant's Mountain View offices may have been the largest, and attracted support from female and male employees.
#Googlewalkout #googlecampus Mountain View - Thanks to all the victims who shared their stories, hopefully this will be the start of REAL CHANGE and accountability ?? pic.twitter.com/hNWJxexkZz — chinesco (@chinesco) November 1, 2018
Staffers from across the Mountain 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."
"There are so many stories we've heard for so long and it's time for action," Google staffer and walkout core organizer Celie O'Neil-Hart told journalists.
The companywide walkout is in response to The New York Times reporting last week that Google gave lucrative exit package to two top executives, both of whom resigned over credible sexual misconduct charges. One of the executives, Android founder Andy Rubin, reportedly received $90 million.
However, organizers of the walkout say the Times only provided a snapshot of the workplace sexual harassment employees face at the company. O'Neil-Hart said organizers have been collecting stories from Google workers to document the problems.
Although Thursday's walkout at the company headquarters attracted a huge crowd, Google's security staff denied journalists access to attend the rally. Part 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; we're owners. The "owners mindset," they call it. The owners minds are made up: #TimesUp. #GoogleWalkout #TimesUpTech pic.twitter.com/j9BviqT3CU — Celie O'Neil-Hart (@celiehart) November 1, 2018
The organizers are calling on Google to make five specific changes. They include an end to "pay and opportunity inequity," and for Google to start publishing a transparency report over sexual harassment cases at the company. The workers also want the ability to bring any workplace sexual harassment and discrimination-related charges in court as opposed through company arbitration.
"We do feel heard and we look forward to seeing action," O'Neil-Hart said. "These demands come from hundreds of voices across the company."
So far, Google hasn't said whether the company will comply with the demands. But in a statement made yesterday, company CEO Sundar Pichai said Google was going to support employees who wished to join the walkout. "Employees have raised constructive ideas for how we can improve our policies and our processes going forward. We are taking in all their feedback so we can turn these ideas into action," he said.
Pichai has also said his company takes workplace sexual harassment seriously. Last week, the company revealed it's fired 48 employees for sexual harassment over the past two years. Thirteen of the employees were senior manager or above and none received an exit package. Nevertheless, the company has not denied paying millions to Android founder Andy Rubin or senior executive Amit Singhal after they resigned.
Most Google employees who attended the rally at the company's headquarters on Thursday declined to speak with the press. But company software engineer JJ Wanda said he has "friends and family who have been sexually harassed, time and time again.
"While I personally haven't been harassed, I've seen friends get hurt, 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 60 percent of the company's offices across the world joined the protest. At the Mountain View rally, most of the employees left 40 minutes into the walkout. However, some stayed and gave speeches for another hour before the walkout appeared to end.
"This is just the start. Do not forget that, " said one worker giving a speech at the walkout. "Stand up."