Google has long been at the center of gender inequality in the workplace, with a history of press coverage and lawsuits. Late last year, their employees from across the globe staged a protest, with workers claiming that the company avoided dealing with sexual harassment claims against executives. Google has also been sued by former workers who said they were not paid as much as similarly qualified male counterparts.
Recently, Google undertook a pay study to see if they were underpaying female and minority employees. The study looked at information from 91 percent of their employees and found that men were being paid less than women with the same job responsibilities. Google then provided close to $10 million in compensation to 10,677 of their workers. Data about how many men received raises was not provided.
Workplace Equity
Silicon Valley companies are trying to address and correct workplace wage discrimination and sexual harassment. Google conducts their study every year, with the most recent results leading to the abovementioned pay increases. Opponents of this feel that the study could be flawed; Google representatives responded that the study did not consider initial hiring salaries for these employees.
Chief executive of the consulting company, Paradigm, pointed out that instead of focusing on salaries, the concept of equity in the workplace should be analyzed. Google has a reputation for inappropriately managing their female employees by assigning them lower pay grades. This is allegedly done through leveling.
To calculate an employee’s salary, Google uses leveling. This approach looks at the job’s location, job responsibilities, and employee performance. They also consider whether the salary is in line with co-workers with similar traits. The final number must include a basis for making this decision. Many feel that women are not given the proper pay grade to start with. A lead analyst for Google blogged that the company is reviewing their leveling processes to ensure equity for all their workers.
Legal Actions
Google has faced several gender inequality lawsuits, with possibly more to come. A former female Google engineer stated that she was hired in 2010 and classified as a Level 3, which is for recent college graduates, even though she had four years of work-related experience. Weeks later, a male engineer with the same qualifications was hired at a higher pay salary. Her claim may end up as part of a class-action lawsuit that involves over 8,300 female employees.
Early in 2018, four former employees accused the company of unfair pay practices, stating that male teachers at Google’s Palo Alto children center were paid more than their female counterparts. Google representatives disagreed, saying that there was no bias in the decision-making processes. The plaintiff’s legal team mentioned a 2015 U.S. Department of Labor study that analyzed data from 21,000 Google employees. This concluded that there were systemic monetary compensation inequalities against the female workers throughout the organization.
Bucks County Wage Dispute Lawyers at The Gold Law Firm P.C. Help Employees Fight Against Wage Discrimination
When companies practice wage discrimination, employees may end up getting less than they are entitled. The Bucks County wage dispute lawyers at The Gold Law Firm P.C. can help you obtain the compensation you deserve. Contact us by calling 215-569-1999 or complete an online form for a free consultation today. We are in Philadelphia, and represent clients in Bucks County, Chester County, Delaware County, and Montgomery County.
