Google employees are hoping to raise awareness of workplace harassment in the tech industry using various social media channels such as Twitter and Instagram. They hope that people in Florida and throughout the country learn more about tactics such as requiring employees to resolve workplace issues through arbitration. By going through arbitration, workers don’t have the ability to take a case to court. While this requirement has been dropped by some companies for sexual harassment claims, it still applies in other cases.
According to those organizing the event, eliminating forced arbitration completely may result in creating a level playing field for all workers. The tech industry has long had a reputation for not being as diverse as it could be. In addition to potentially dealing with that issue, getting rid of forced arbitration could help employees who bring harassment complaints against their employers.
Generally speaking, workers have a harder time obtaining a favorable outcome when they have to go before an arbitrator. If they do win, they may receive less money than they could by going to court. The social media awareness event is taking place on Jan. 15 between the hours of 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. During that time, organizers will tweet facts about forced arbitration as well as feature stories and interviews related to the issue.
Individuals in Boca Raton, Florida, who believe that they have experienced workplace harassment may benefit from hiring an attorney. This may make it easier to gather evidence in the case as well as learn more about how to proceed.