5 ms·

Google walkout live: Pictures of Google workers leaving their desks in protest

35 points by rayvy 8y ago

rayvy 8y ago
Original title (too long): Google walkout live: Pictures of Google workers leaving their desks in protest over sexual misconduct
citilife 8y ago
Then don't work there... I feel like this is just kind of sad... They are willing to complain, but not switch jobs. If it's really that bad, you'd be switching jobs. I've refused to work or even apply to companies I feel are immoral (Facebook for instance). It's not really hard, as engineers we are in high demand. Also as an aside, Google has on going lawsuits with males feeling discriminated against and another one where females feel discriminated against. Personally, I think that company culture has something deeply wrong with it.
- jsutton 8y ago
  If they just switch jobs, they lose the ability to change the culture.
  - citilife 8y ago
    As a low level employee it's not really your responsibility to try and change the culture. It's your job to find a place with a culture that fits you. Fact is, changing a corporations culture is almost impossible. It's set over time by the people who work their and their policies. The people you hire, then hire more people, and so on indefinitely. Google is pretty much stuck with this culture for the foreseeable future. The only thing that can change are policies. Which sure, these employees may be able to change. However, the culture that puts these policies in place will likely persist.
    - craftyguy 8y ago
      There's no place for 'sexual harassment' culture, period. If your employer started murdering people in the streets outside your office, would you just pack up and find a new job?
      - citilife 8y ago
        > There's no place for 'sexual harassment' culture, period. First of all, they appear to be firing / asking people to leave in the standard corporate way. Yes, it's common to pay people to leave to avoid a lawsuit. Might not be pretty, but it's the reality we live in. I agree that should probably change, but walking out is not really impacting the company at all. Which brings me to the point, leaving does impact the company. If massive numbers of engineers quit, that'd actually cause way more pain than taking a walk around the building. Finally: > If your employer started murdering people in the streets outside your office, would you just pack up and find a new job? Not even close to the same level, but yes I'd leave. I'd also probably report them to the police. Why the hell would I stay there?
        craftyguy 8y ago
        > Not even close to the same level, but yes I'd leave. Sure, I used a more serious offense, but they are both illegal activities so the reaction should not be too different. > I'd also probably report them to the police. Why the hell would I stay there? My point exactly.
        citilife 8y ago
        Just for reference sexual harassment is illegal / legal depending on your location and offense. I don't know about all cases and at risk of engaging you further -- it's often the company the bears legal responsibility to create a safe work environment (not the employee). Meaning, the company can be held liable if they did nothing with the complaints. That typically means they need to remove the person (if there is evidence) that committed the act. That does not necessarily mean that a lewd remark is illegal (it is typically not). I am not saying anything is "correct" or "incorrect", "moral" or "immoral". I am explaining that most sexual harassment is not illegal behavior. The only thing that could be illegal is not doing something to rectify the situation.
  - davidcbc 8y ago
    This, plus perhaps women shouldn't be forced to switch jobs (or at this point, maybe even industries) to not be sexually harassed at work.
londons_explore 8y ago
Will they get paid for the time they are walking out?
- citilife 8y ago
  They are salary - I'm 100% confident they will.
- xiphias2 8y ago
  No. In Google you're supposed to try to go for promotion, and nobody cares about the walkout in the promotion commitees, so at the end you have to work extra. If you don't want promotion though, life's easy @ Google.
londons_explore 8y ago
Rather than trying to change company policies about harassment, why aren't they trying to change the law? A company shouldn't be the one to decide if harassment is or is not okay.
- xiphias2 8y ago
  The way to change the law is by starting the movement in the company. I'm sure people will talk about not allowing forced arbitration by the law after this movement.
rayvy 8y ago
As much as I hate Google, this is pretty cool. They even have donuts for everyone.
Simulacra 8y ago
...and then they went back in, got a free massage, some lovely free gourmet food, and back to work.

35 points by rayvy 8y ago

Original title (too long): Google walkout live: Pictures of Google workers leaving their desks in protest over sexual misconduct

citilife 8y ago

Then don't work there... I feel like this is just kind of sad... They are willing to complain, but not switch jobs. If it's really that bad, you'd be switching jobs. I've refused to work or even apply to companies I feel are immoral (Facebook for instance). It's not really hard, as engineers we are in high demand. Also as an aside, Google has on going lawsuits with males feeling discriminated against and another one where females feel discriminated against. Personally, I think that company culture has something deeply wrong with it.

jsutton 8y ago
If they just switch jobs, they lose the ability to change the culture.
- citilife 8y ago
  As a low level employee it's not really your responsibility to try and change the culture. It's your job to find a place with a culture that fits you. Fact is, changing a corporations culture is almost impossible. It's set over time by the people who work their and their policies. The people you hire, then hire more people, and so on indefinitely. Google is pretty much stuck with this culture for the foreseeable future. The only thing that can change are policies. Which sure, these employees may be able to change. However, the culture that puts these policies in place will likely persist.
  - craftyguy 8y ago
    There's no place for 'sexual harassment' culture, period. If your employer started murdering people in the streets outside your office, would you just pack up and find a new job?
    - citilife 8y ago
      > There's no place for 'sexual harassment' culture, period. First of all, they appear to be firing / asking people to leave in the standard corporate way. Yes, it's common to pay people to leave to avoid a lawsuit. Might not be pretty, but it's the reality we live in. I agree that should probably change, but walking out is not really impacting the company at all. Which brings me to the point, leaving does impact the company. If massive numbers of engineers quit, that'd actually cause way more pain than taking a walk around the building. Finally: > If your employer started murdering people in the streets outside your office, would you just pack up and find a new job? Not even close to the same level, but yes I'd leave. I'd also probably report them to the police. Why the hell would I stay there?
      - craftyguy 8y ago
        > Not even close to the same level, but yes I'd leave. Sure, I used a more serious offense, but they are both illegal activities so the reaction should not be too different. > I'd also probably report them to the police. Why the hell would I stay there? My point exactly.
        citilife 8y ago
        Just for reference sexual harassment is illegal / legal depending on your location and offense. I don't know about all cases and at risk of engaging you further -- it's often the company the bears legal responsibility to create a safe work environment (not the employee). Meaning, the company can be held liable if they did nothing with the complaints. That typically means they need to remove the person (if there is evidence) that committed the act. That does not necessarily mean that a lewd remark is illegal (it is typically not). I am not saying anything is "correct" or "incorrect", "moral" or "immoral". I am explaining that most sexual harassment is not illegal behavior. The only thing that could be illegal is not doing something to rectify the situation.
- davidcbc 8y ago
  This, plus perhaps women shouldn't be forced to switch jobs (or at this point, maybe even industries) to not be sexually harassed at work.

londons_explore 8y ago

Will they get paid for the time they are walking out?

citilife 8y ago
They are salary - I'm 100% confident they will.
xiphias2 8y ago
No. In Google you're supposed to try to go for promotion, and nobody cares about the walkout in the promotion commitees, so at the end you have to work extra. If you don't want promotion though, life's easy @ Google.

londons_explore 8y ago

Rather than trying to change company policies about harassment, why aren't they trying to change the law? A company shouldn't be the one to decide if harassment is or is not okay.

xiphias2 8y ago
The way to change the law is by starting the movement in the company. I'm sure people will talk about not allowing forced arbitration by the law after this movement.

rayvy 8y ago

As much as I hate Google, this is pretty cool. They even have donuts for everyone.

Simulacra 8y ago

...and then they went back in, got a free massage, some lovely free gourmet food, and back to work.