Alphabet, Google’s parent company, announced earlier this year that it would be cutting 12,000 jobs globally. In response to the announcement, some Google employees have written an open letter to CEO Sundar Pichai, demanding a better course of action when it comes to these job cuts.
The letter lists out five major demands that employees want the company to commit to publicly. These demands include freezing all new hires during the layoff process, granting priority rehire to any Alphabet employees that have been recently laid off, protecting co-workers from countries with active conflicts or humanitarian crises, respecting scheduled leaves, and ensuring there will be no discriminatory effects.
The open letter has so far gathered signatures from 1423 employees across the world. The employees claim that workers’ voices have not been adequately considered in the decision-making process and that they are stronger together than alone.
The first demand in the letter is for the company to freeze all new hires during the layoff process. The employees want the company to first ask for voluntary redundancies and voluntary working time reduction before resorting to compulsory layoffs. The second demand is for the company to grant priority rehire to any Alphabet employees that have been recently laid off. The employees want internal transfer options to be prioritized and access to jobs without the need to re-interview. They are also asking for a fair severance package.
The third demand in the letter is for the company to protect co-workers from countries with active conflicts or humanitarian crises. The employees want the company to not terminate employment when it would adversely affect visas, which could require workers to return to unsafe or unstable countries. They are also asking for extra support for workers at risk of residence permit loss, including help with job searches and adequate gardening leave.
The fourth demand is for the company to respect scheduled leaves, such as maternity, baby bonding, carer’s, and bereavement leaves. The employees want the company to not give notice until the leave is finished. Workers given notice will be notified in-person and will be given the opportunity to say goodbye to their co-workers.
Finally, the employees are asking for the company to ensure that there will be no discriminatory effects based on gender identity, gender expression, age, sexual orientation, racial or ethnic identity, caste, veteran status, religion, and disability.
The employees are calling on CEO Sundar Pichai and Alphabet to make these critical public commitments, as the company has long touted its commitment to doing right by its users and workers. These commitments will show Alphabet adhering to the final line of its Code of Conduct: Don’t Be Evil.
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