Attorneys and analysts at the California
Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) have repeatedly interviewed
several Black women who have worked at the Alphabet-owned company about their
experiences there, according to the documents and the sources. The sources
spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid jeopardizing the work.
Questions have centred on alleged
harassment and discrimination in the workplace, according to the emails.
Conversations have taken place as recently as last month, one of the sources
said.
The DFEH declined to comment.
Google said it is focused on "building
sustainable equity" for its Black workers and that 2020 was its largest
year for hiring what it calls "Black+" workers, a designation
inclusive of people belonging to multiple races.
"Our goal is to ensure that every
employee experiences Google as an inclusive workplace," it said.
"We'll continue to focus on this important work and thoroughly investigate
any concerns, to make sure our workplace is representative and equitable."
The DFEH has interviewed workers who have
filed formal complaints and those who have not, the people said, showing that
the regulator has sought more examples of potential mistreatment.
The agency is involved in ongoing lawsuits
against video game companies Tencent's Riot Games and Activision Blizzard
alleging widespread discrimination and harassment.
But its cases do not always result in
charges.
For years Black men in the tech industry
have said they have faced disparaging comments and discouraging experiences,
such as being shut out of offices because security guards and colleagues
questioned whether they actually worked there.
As more Black women have joined the
workforce, such complaints have increased. Seven current and former Google
employees told Reuters this year about being marginalized on projects as Black
women and not taken as seriously as colleagues with different backgrounds.
Artificial intelligence researcher Timnit
Gebru has said Google fired her a year ago for criticizing its lack of
workforce diversity and for fighting managers who objected to publishing a
critical paper she co-wrote. Erika Munro Kennerly, who oversaw diversity and
strategy teams at Google before resigning last year, told magazine Corporate
Counsel in January that "there's an overall tone of being
undervalued" as a Black woman at Google.
Workers identifying as "Black+
female" left Google at the highest rate of any racial-gender group other
than "Native American+ female" last year, according to company data.
Google last year said it planned to boost retention by increasing support
staffing and programs. © Reuters