Google, Spotify, Uber, and Microsoft are among several tech firms that have been at the center of allegations of rampant discrimination and sexual harassment claims among the companies’ employees. In a 2018 survey conducted by The Blind, more than 70 percent of employees reported that they do not trust their company’s human resources department.
At Microsoft, women employees filed 238 internal complaints against the company between 2010 and 2016. These complaints alleged gender discrimination and sexual harassment. Female workers at Oracle filed suit against their employer for pay discrimination after the Department of Labor had already begun an investigation.
To build trust among employees, companies must ensure their HR department investigate employee complaints and respond appropriately. Google made a show of effort to correct flawed internal policies by changing its disability accommodation policy after challenged the company’s previous set of guidelines.
Adobe and Salesforce have each attempted to overhaul their corporate cultures by launching equal pay initiatives. Adobe announced it reached racial and gender pay equity in 2017 while Salesforce conducted an assessment in 2015 and later paid two installments of $3 million to correct pay disparities among its workers. Once known for its sexualized television commercials, GoDaddy has transformed itself into a destination employer for women.
Sometimes a company may be unaware of how to create a corporate culture that facilitates trust among employees and discourages discrimination and unequal treatment. A New Jersey workplace discrimination attorney may be able to advise small companies and larger corporations identify the signs of workplace discrimination before the issue becomes more widespread and determine how to handle employee complaints in the event that incidents arise. In addition to avoiding very serious liability issues and equal employment law violations, an employment discrimination attorney might also possibly help employers retain talented employees by maintaining a peaceful, productive workplace.
Source: HR Dive, “DOL suit: Oracle’s race, gender discrimination cost workers $400M,” Katie Clarey, January 24, 2019
