Google employees walk out to protest treatment of women and protection of accused sexual harassers

It's a cold morning outside most Google offices today, but that did not stop hundreds from walking out to protest the way Google has handled sexual misconduct in the past — and the way they're still being handled today. A New York Times article recently reported on Google's cover-up of sexual misconduct accusations against Andy Rubin the company found "credible", as well as the decision to pay Andy Rubin over $90 million for his departure on "mutually beneficial terms", the third time Google has given a multi-million dollar "exit package" to an executive accused of misconduct.

This was a photo showing the size of the walkout in Dublin, where an organizer of the walkout spoke about how they want to create a safe workspace for women, as well as a safe space for women to find support and report any misconduct they face.

The walkout in New York City drew over a thousand people, as well as hundreds at walkouts throughout Europe, as well as at Google's office in Singapore, and the walkouts at Google's headquarters in California are set to begin in less than two hours. Protesting Google employees want to end Forced Arbitration clauses, increase the transparency around the misconduct policy and safety for women wanting to make a report of sexual harassment.

Google said yesterday that i was aware of the protest plans for today and stated that "employees will have the support they need if they wish to participate." It's not clear if any of Google's senior officials will engage with the protests today, nor what changes or response will come from the company in the following weeks and months, but it is becoming increasingly clear that change is still needed from Google on the issue.