Google recently settled a 2016 lawsuit alleging that it used illegal practices to stop employees from complaining about the workplace. The lawsuit claimed the company's confidentiality policies were unlawful.
The Mountain View, Calif.-based tech giant has about 187,000 workers. It did not respond to a request for comment. We've gathered a group of articles on the news from SHRM Online and other trusted sources.
Corporate Confidentiality Policy
The case stemmed from the termination of a worker at Google-owned Nest, who was fired for posting complaints about the company's management on Facebook. In terminating the employee, Google said the person had violated the company's data classification guidelines that prohibited staff from divulging confidential information.
The employee alleged that the company's data classification guidelines were too broad. California labor law requires corporate confidentiality policies to allow employees to speak out about labor conditions. Google later revised the guidelines in 2017.
The case was filed under California's Private Attorneys General Act, which permits individuals to sue on behalf of the government for alleged labor code violations. Most of the settlement, which is still subject to court approval, will go to the state, with around 100,000 Google employees getting around $20 to $70 each.
Curtailing Speech
The plaintiff alleged that Google prohibited workers from speaking to the press, disclosing how much they earned,...
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