Google employees demand these 5 things from CEO Sundar Pichai

Recently in January, Google parent Alphabet announced to sack 12,000 employees nearly 6% of the workforce. However, The company CEO took responsibility for the layoffs.

As per the recent updates of CNBC reports, The former Google employees that were laid off on their medical or maternity leave have said that Google might not be willing to pay its employees’ previously approved medical and maternity leaves.

Post the layoff announcements, former Google employees have formed a group called ‘Laid off on Leave.’ Recently, some Google employees wrote an open letter to Pichai asking for better handling of these job cuts.

Google employees demand these 5 things from CEO Sundar Pichai

The open letter has so far signatures from 1423 employees. Here’s the open letter enclosing the demands of the employees:

Sundar,
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.

Specifically, we are asking for the following public commitments from you:

1) 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.

2) Grant priority rehires to any Alphabet employees that have been recently laid off. Prioritize internal transfer options, prioritize access to jobs without the need to re-interview, and agree to a fair severance package.

3) 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.

4) 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 good-bye to their coworkers.

5) Ensure there will be no discriminatory effects based on sex, gender identity, gender expression, age, sexual orientation, racial or ethnic identity, caste, veteran status, religion, and disability.

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.