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> Is there a known metric that shows how profitability increases after a given percentage of harassed workers? Oh my goodness yes. Getting sued? Public relati
by 013a 8y ago
> Is there a known metric that shows how profitability increases after a given percentage of harassed workers?
Oh my goodness yes. Getting sued? Public relations? Decreased productivity from a hostile work environment? These all affect the bottom line.
Seriously, for the love of all that matters in this universe: Take this notion that any company operates on a moral compass and throw it in the garbage. None of them do. Period. End of story. Some companies are better than others. Some leaders (read: HUMANS) do have a genuine sense of good that they make every attempt to instill into the culture of their organizations. That's amazing. I love to see that.
But this only happens when (1) the organization is already financially solvent and (2) the acts of good will won't cause the company to become financially insolvent. Which means the best companies are MOTIVATED by a moral compass, but they operate on a financial one.
This Google case is especially fucking hilarious, to watch some people in these comments (not you, but others) try to justify Google's actions under the banner of a desire to create a safe workplace. Bullshit. They only enacted these policies after a massive number of their employees walked out on their jobs, the public pressure was mounting, and they let known assholes leave on their own accord with, as you say, a golden parachute. Google is easily the most morally dubious company out there.
- cromulo 8y ago> Google is easily the most morally dubious company out there. I mean, I might have put some tobacco, arms, oil, coal, chemical, and surveillance companies up there. Particularly since I don't see them leading the way on harassment, inequity, diversity, or any of the other things Google is being criticized for. It sort of seems as though they have all the same issues plus body counts. But perhaps I've missed the news, are Gazprom and Saudi Aramco famous for how well they handle sexual harassment claims? Your point about corporate ruthlessness is a solid one, but putting Google at the head of that list seriously undersells the problem. It's worth remembering how bad things are, and how bad they can get. Hell, now that I'm thinking of it, I'd put Chiquita higher up on the list than Google. They never actually got over the bad old days in Honduras, they were caught funding and directly arming Colombian terrorists in 2004.
- 013a 8y agoI did use the word "dubious" on purpose. There are certainly more strictly evil companies out there, but the moral ground Google operates on is the definition of Dubious. Its shaky and doubtful. They're self-righteous about their morality, dating back to their classic motto "Don't Be Evil", but startlingly few of their actions, especially those directly related to their products, ever feel in line with this now tossed-aside motto. In other words, they're managed by a handful of children with Computer Science degrees and relentless ambition; the moment something goes wrong they throw up their hands and yell "we're solving problems no one else has attempted" without any introspection that maybe the problem wouldn't even exist if they didn't. But that's not really an option for any company. So they continue on.