Allegedly Discriminating Black Employees, Google Examined

Google (Photo: Calebb Williams / Unsplash)

JAKARTA - California's civil rights regulator, United States (US) is investigating how Google treats black female workers, after alleged incidents of harassment and discrimination.

Lawyers and analysts at the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) have asked Google employees about harassment and discrimination, after receiving a formal complaint.

However, they speak anonymously to avoid jeopardizing the work. However, the report originally obtained by Reuters from two closest sources did not mention DFEH filing a lawsuit against Google.

The source also said that the interviews conducted did not mean that Google could face prosecution. According to a diversity report Google released earlier this year, about 1.8 percent of black women are in the workforce and leave the company at a higher than usual rate.

Google denies allegations of how it treats black workers at its company, "Our goal is to ensure that every employee perceives Google as an inclusive workplace and we have focused on building sustainable equity for the Google Black community", said Google spokeswoman, Shannon Newberry.

The company also stated it has room for improvement in terms of keeping underrepresented talent. Launching The Verge, Saturday, December 18, earlier this year Google was sued relating to the equity of a former employee.

A lawsuit filed against Google by four female former employees was granted class-action status, the women claiming they received bonuses and lower salaries than their male counterparts.

The company also made headlines after AI ethicist Timnit Gebru criticized the lack of workforce diversity and for fighting off managers who objected to publishing a critical paper he wrote.

Gebru admits she faces rejection from companies about her work that criticize her language model. Another female member of Google's AI ethics team was also fired after revealing she searched her email for evidence that Gebru faced discrimination.

"We have also invested in our retention programs and practices to help Black employees grow and thrive at Google. We will continue to focus on this important work and investigate any issues thoroughly, to ensure our workplace is representative and fair", said Newberry.