The manager had urged his team to speak openly about mental health challenges
A former Google employee is suing the tech giant, claiming his manager weaponized a mental health disclosure against him.
Jeff Sklarin, a 33-year-old Senior Account Executive, filed suit against Google LLC on January 16 in federal court in Chicago, alleging the company discriminated against him based on his anxiety and depression diagnosis and his Jewish faith. The case raises pointed questions about what happens when workplace mental health initiatives collide with managerial bias.
Sklarin spent eight years at Google, joining in 2016 as an Agency Account Strategist. He rose through the ranks steadily, earning excellent performance reviews and substantial bonuses for seven consecutive years. Then came a new manager.
In April 2023, Sklarin began reporting to Syed Rabbi. Three months later, the two attended a team meeting focused on the importance of empathy in the workplace. Rabbi, according to court filings, positioned himself as an advocate and urged his team to speak openly about mental health challenges.
Sklarin took him at his word.
In August 2023, Sklarin disclosed to Rabbi that he had been diagnosed with anxiety and depression, and that serious health issues affecting his wife and grandparents were exacerbating his symptoms. Around the same time, Rabbi learned Sklarin was Jewish.
What followed, Sklarin alleges, was a sharp reversal. The manager who had championed openness allegedly began...
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