INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Google employees around the world briefly walked off their jobs on Thursday to protest the company's response to sexual harassment and
demand that the world's largest search engine address rising concerns about workplace inequality.The protests took place in waves, beginning
in Asia and then streaming across Europe and North America, with the final wave occurring at Google's headquarters in Mountain View,
California.The protests, which drew Google contract workers as well as employees, followed a New York Times report last week that Google in
2014 gave a $90 million exit package to a senior vice president, Andy Rubin, after he was accused of sexual harassment."This was the $90
million straw that broke the camel's back," Celie O'Neil-Hart, one of the protest organizers and who works on YouTube marketing, told
reporters as she joined hundreds of other employees in the courtyard of Google's Mountain View headquarters
"But there are so many stories that we've heard for so long, and it's time for action and change," said O'Neil-Hart as she teared up.Rubin
denied the allegation in the New York Times story, which he said contained "wild exaggerations" about his compensation
Google did not dispute the report.Organizers said about 60 percent of Google's offices participated, including Dublin, the company's largest
site outside the United States, as well as London, Zurich, Berlin and Singapore
They shared photographs on social media of hundreds leaving offices.Many employees at the Mountain View walkout chanted "Women's rights are
workers rights," and some wore blue ribbons in support of sexual harassment victims.Seven U.S
employees who organised the demonstrations called on Google parent Alphabet Inc to make harassment investigations fairer for accusers, share
pay-equity data with workers and add an employee representative to its board.Google Chief Executive Sundar Pichai, speaking an hour later at
a New York Times conference in New York, said he was taking note of the "concrete steps" workers presented to improve the company's culture
and human resources processes."I want to make sure Google sets the bar," he said, noting that a lack of gender and racial diversity was part
"We're grappling with it, as with many places."Organizers and other employees said Google executives, like leaders at the dozens of
companies affected by the #metoo movement, have been slow to address numerous structural issues such as unchecked power of male
executives.They want Google to publicly report its sexual harassment statistics and end forced arbitration in harassment cases
They also have asked that the chief diversity officer be able to directly advise the board.Rana Abdelhamid, who works in Google Cloud's
marketing division in San Francisco, told reporters that the walkout was "about safety of women in the workplace," adding that Google's
historical support for women's causes caused her to be shocked when she learned of the multi-million-dollar payout."The numbers and facts
don't match with the intentions" of Google on equality and safety for underrepresented groups, she told Reuters
"We need to reprioritise energy and really focus on these issues."MONTHS OF BUILDUPSince its founding two decades ago, Google has been known
for its motto "don't be evil," a dictum preserved in its worker code of conduct, and its transparency with employees about corporate
strategy.But employees have internally organised for months to increase diversity and improve treatment of women and minorities.Those issues
have been top of mind since the 2016 election of U.S
President Donald Trump, a Republican, stunned Silicon Valley, where liberal and libertarian policies are popular.Tech workers have become
more vocal to protest both the president's and their companies' stances on immigration, defence and discrimination
Workers have said that they are driven by the sense that their technology pioneer employers should also be standard bearers on socioeconomic
issues."We all know that the status quo is unacceptable and if there is any company who can solve this, it is Google," said Thomas Kneeland,
a Google software engineer in New York.The dissatisfaction among Alphabet's 94,000 employees and tens of thousands contractors has not
noticeably affected the company's share price
But employees, who warned they would demonstrate again if needed, expect Alphabet to face recruiting and retention challenges if their
concerns go unaddressed.Alphabet shares closed down 0.4 percent to $1,085.98 on Thursday.Around the world, Google workers walked out
carrying signs reading "Time's up Tech," "Happy to quit for $90M - no sexual harassment required" and "Not OK Google," a reference to the
"OK Google" phrase used to activate Google's voice-operated Assistant.Cathay Bi, a Google product manager, speaking through a megaphone
before hundreds gathered in a bustling pedestrian plaza in San Francisco's financial district, talked about the engines of change."This is
what it means to be 'Googley,'" she urged the crowd to chant, invoking a widely used term for the company's culture."People don't change
because of law and policies
Laws and policies change because of people."(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by TheIndianSubcontinent staff and is
published from a syndicated feed.)
