Respect Scheduled Leaves, Freeze New Hires During Layoffs...: Google Employees Letter To CEO Sundar Pichai

In the open letter to the CEO, Google workers demanded that the company freezes new hirings, give priority to laid-off workers for job vacancies, and let workers finish scheduled time off.

More than 1,400 employees of Google-parent Alphabet Inc. signed a petition making a series of demands of the company for the better treatment of staff during the layoff process, reported Bloomberg on Saturday. This comes after Alphabet announced it will let go of around 12,000 workers. In the open letter addressed to Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai, workers demanded that the company freezes new hirings, ask employees for voluntary redundancies before compulsory ones, give priority to laid-off workers for job vacancies, and let workers finish scheduled periods of paid time off. 

The letter read, “The impacts of Alphabet's decision to reduce its workforce are global. Nowhere have workers' voices adequately been considered, and we know that as workers we are stronger together than alone. We are thus coming together across the world to be heard.”

The letter demanded, “Freeze all new hires during the layoff process. First, ask for voluntary redundancies and voluntary working time reduction before compulsory layoffs. Allow for employee 'swaps' to further avoid compulsory redundancies. Grant priority rehires to any Alphabet employees that have been recently laid off. Prioritize internal transfer options, prioritized access to jobs without the need to re-interview and agree to a fair severance package.”

“Protect our co-workers from countries with active conflicts or humanitarian crises (such as Ukraine, Russia, etc). Do not terminate employment when it would adversely affect visas, which could require workers to return to unsafe or unstable countries. Provide extra support to these and workers at risk of residence permit loss: help with job searches—internal and external—and provide adequate gardening leave,” the letter added. 

The letter further said, “Respect scheduled leaves (Maternity, Baby Bonding, Carer's and Bereavement) and do 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 coworkers.”

The workers also called on Alphabet to avoid terminating employees from countries with active conflicts or humanitarian crises, such as Ukraine and provide extra support to those at risk of losing their visa-linked residency along with their jobs.

In January, Alphabet announced it would cut about 6 per cent of its workforce. During the announcement CEO Pichai had said the company hired for a “different economic reality than the one we face today.”

This was after similar announcements by other major tech firms including Meta, Amazon, and Microsoft.

According to a Bloomberg report, the letter was organized by a group of employees supported by unions including the Alphabet Workers Union, United Tech and Allied Workers, and UNI Global and it has emerged out of Discord channel discussion. The groups plan to circulate the petition for a few more days before presenting a physical copy to Pichai. 

The letter addressed to Google CEO said, “We call on you and Alphabet more broadly to make these critical public commitments. Our company has long touted its commitment to doing right by its users and workers, and these commitments will show Alphabet adhering to the final line of its Code of Conduct: Don't Be Evil. We know this is within your means and your ability to accomplish.”

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