Is There Hope In Filing Discrimination Claims Against Large Tech Companies?

In 2021, Google agreed to pay a $2.5 million settlement to 5,500 individuals for gender pay gaps & hiring discrimination against women and Asian job candidates.

Here is why that is important for you.

“The settlement resolves allegations that the company had discriminated against women and Asian job candidates for engineering roles in some of its West Coast offices. The [US ]Department [of Labor ]had also allegedly found pay gaps that disadvantaged women in software engineering positions” according to Brian Fung, the CNN author behind the CNN article “Google settles with Department of Labor over allegations of worker discrimination.”

Why You Should Care:

1. You Are More Than Just a Drop in the Bucket
   Many folks feel intimidated to file a legal discrimination claim against a large tech company, like Google, Facebook, or Amazon. However, when enough individuals file legal claims against the same company, the US Department of Labor takes notice! In the case of Google, the Labor Department decided to open up a full investigation and fight for justice. You filing a legal discrimination claim against a large tech company can have a powerful ripple affect that benefits thousands & holds big businesses accountable.

2. Large Discrimination Investigations Take Time
   In this particular case, the Labor Department’s audits of Google that were conducted from 2014-2017. A settlement was reached in February 2021. And payouts typically begin 3-6 months after a settlement is reached. For perspective, this issue reached a legal resolution 4-7 years after the discrimination claims were made. This is a good opportunity to consider what your personal goals and needs are for seeking justice after experiencing workplace discrimination. Going the legal route against may take years but can have positive benefits for many other employees years later. If you personally want more immediate resolution, then it’s worth exploring other healing options that can support your needs.

3. Seeking Legal Justice Against an Employer is Not Only About the Money
   Here is a simplified breakdown of the $2.5 million settlement: Google will pay about $1.3 million to compensate roughly 2,500 software engineers who allegedly experienced pay discrimination. That ends up being about $500 per engineer on average. Google will also pay just over $1.2 million to compensate job candidates who were not hired due to the alleged hiring discrimination. This translates to a little over $350 per applicant on average. While folks received settlement money for alleged discrimination at Google, the lawsuit primarily serves as public and legal accountability against a large, powerful company. Again, this is a good opportunity to consider your personal goals and needs in the wake of workplace trauma. Maybe you want settlement money or perhaps you just want to publicize that a company has done you wrong to protect others.