Exercising StrategyChapter 10 (page 470)

Google Employees Protest Pass the Trash Strategy

Instructions:

Read Tales of Google Employees Protest Pass the Trash Strategy (page 470) answer all of the assigned questions below. The focus of your paper is to apply the concepts learned in Chapters 7 & 10 regarding Employee Separation/Retention and Training by providing examples/evidence that support your understanding.

One industry analysis has noted that when it comes to their business model, Google is built on human capital and not much else. The company's motto is do no evil, and it promotes its culture as a great place to work in order to attract and retain the best talent, most of whom could easily find work at other employers at the drop of the Hat. Thus, when 20000 Google employees across the globe stage a walkout to protest how the company responded to sexual misconduct allegations, this definitely caught the attention of senior leaders. The specific trigger for the protest was the revelation that Google had paid large sums of cover-up money to senior Executives who seem to be guilty of sexual harassment. One of the executives, Andy Rubin, was given 90 million to leave, and on top of this, was sent off with a celebration where he was treated a hero. Larry Page, the chief executive at the time, hailed Ruben as the father of Android and its billion- plus happy users'' and wished him all the best with what comes next. Many of the protesting employees thought that what should come next was a criminal charge, not a lucrative buyout. Moreover, rather than being sweet as a result of this one Revelation, the underlying belief among many workers was that Google can donate to a subculture that was hostile to women in general, not just in terms of condoning a hostile environment, but also in terms of pay and promotion opportunities. In fact, at the same time Google was showering purported harassers with money, it was under investigation by the US Department of Labor for alleged systemic pay discrimination against female employees. Still, although it's size, Fame and reported culture make Google an attractive Target for criticism, the practice of passing the trash is hardly unique to Google. Since the Inception of the # me-too movement, the number of sexual harassment claims filed with the EEOC has more than doubled, and since most incidents are not reported at this level, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Rather than going to federal agencies, most complaints are filed with HR departments who, all too often, like Google, seek to settle the claims quietly by working jointly with alleged perpetrators to get them to leave the company voluntarily. This practice is in an attempt to avoid he-said-she-said litigation in reputational damage to the firm, but it fails to meet the victims need for justice, and simply shifts the threat posed by the predator to some other hapless employer. back at Google, senior leaders reacted quickly to the employee walkout. Current chief executive Sundar Pichai and vice president of people operations (HR) Eileen Nzughton met with employers and offered a public apology. They also noted that just in the last two years, 48 executives (13 of whom were at high levels) were discharged without compensation in response to credible harassment claims. This seemed like an odd boast to employees, many of whom wondered why there were so many perpetrators at high levels. The company also announced an end to the practice of mandatory arbitration For such cases as a condition of employment. Mandatory arbitration tends to obscure the problem in a context where transparency is desperately needed. Indeed, in an effort to increase transparency, an anonymous, grassroots email list called Yes, at Google was already in place, where any employee could post complaints about abusive behavior at the company. Although not a program launched by HR professionals now monitor the site closely and follow up on postings. Clearly, this is a playing from behind HR strategy necessitated by the fact employees don't feel free to come to HR in the first place.

1. How does the nature of Googles business model and HR strategy make it particularly sensitive to reputational damage in the eyes of employees, consumers, and the government? Explain and provide evidence and/or examples, from credible sources, to support your explanation.

2. How does a companys value statement affect HR activities and how HR balances the needs of the employer, employees, and the larger society? Explain and provide evidence and/or examples, from credible sources, to support your explanation.