Google CEO announces changes to company’s sexual conduct policies

Google(MOUNTAINVIEW, Calif.) — A week after a massive walk out of its employees, Google says changing how it handles sexual misconduct cases.

In an email to employees Thursday, Google CEO Sundar Pichai apologized for the way the company handled cases of sexual misconduct, and promised change. Google posted the note to employees in its entirety on the company website.

“We recognize that we have not always gotten everything right in the past and we are sincerely sorry for that,” Pinchai wrote. “It’s clear we need to make some changes.”

In a move toward more transparency, Pinchai said Google will provide more details about sexual misconduct allegations in internal reports made available to all employees. Those reports will include the number of cases reported, and a list of the types of punishment imposed — including firings, pay cuts, or mandated counseling. Furthermore, Pinchai said the company is dropping mandatory arbitration of sexual misconduct cases.

These initiatives are part of a new company action plan Pinchai announced in his note to employees Thursday. After encouraging Google employees to inform themselves about the “full range of actions” being announced, he concluded the memo by reaffirming the company’s commitment to more progress on the issue.

He wrote, “Thank you all for the feedback you’ve shared with us. This is an area where we need to continually make progress and are committed to doing so.”

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