On Thursday, thousands of Google employees walked off the job in offices around the world in protest of the company’s handling of sexual harassment claims. The walkout yesterday took place a week after the New York Times revealed in an article that Google had suppressed allegations of sexual misconduct against several of its executives. The protest, called “Walkout for Real Change,” has five goals: bringing an end to forced arbitration, improving processes for reporting sexual misconduct and reporting publicly on sexual harassment within the company. The organizers of the walkout took aim at what they called a “culture of complicity, dismissiveness, and support for perpetrators.” Both men and women participating in the walkout said they were demanding broad changes in how the company handles harassment complaints, and that they were protesting in solidarity with colleagues who had been victimized under the current system. In a statement, Google Chief Executive Sundar Pichai said Google is in support of employees who choose to participate in the walkouts.
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