'A white-collar sweatshop': Google Assistant contractors allege wage theft

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/may/28/a-white-collar-sweatshop-google-assistant-contractors-allege-wage-theft

by mands • 7 years ago

84 10 7 years ago

theguardian.com

sonnyblarney• 7 years ago

Unlike some populist rage pieces that are more heavy on narrative ... this one seems poignant: if contractors were pressured to work overtime, for free, which the Guardian contends 7 former workers indicated ... well then shame on them.

Sundar: Google is rich enough to pay contractors for whatever time they work. Can you grasp that simple idea, and send out a memo to the company? Because I'm sure they'll do whatever company policy is.

AlexTWithBeard• 7 years ago

Sundar is busy improving diversity. Don't distract him with all these petty payment issues.

ganeshkrishnan• 7 years ago

This is not a problem with or due to Sunday. Google always had this hands off humans and bot doing dirty work. As more and more honest people got under it's wheel, the more dirt is coming out.

I always said that people will love Google until one day it's stomps it's feet on their face.

Stop with banning people FOR A LIFETIME google. How is it even legal for a monopoly company to do that?

tssva• 7 years ago

As stated in the article Google already has manager training in place covering this topic, is conducting an investigation into the claims and has already fired the executive in charge of the group following an investigation. Exactly what more is Google suppose to do?

rdtsc• 7 years ago

“It was made clear to us that we were never to log more than 40 hours, but we were never told not to work more than 40 hours.”
“‘This is not a temp-to-hire position. There is no moving up’ … But the reality on the team is very much one where there is clearly a ladder. A certain percentage of the associate linguists will get project manager. A certain percentage of project managers get converted to full time. We watch it happen, and they dangle that carrot.”

These are master manipulators. So on one hand they tell them not to log more hours, and then they assign more work than can be done. And even though it is implied, I bet they shame and berate those that can't finish the assignment.

On Friday, 17 May, Adecco sent emails to current and former Pygmalion temps. Recipients were asked whether they reported all the hours they worked, and, if not, to estimate how many hours they worked unpaid. The emails requested a response by Monday

I wonder how many raised their hand so to speak. I bet very few, because they know as soon as they do, they'll be let go for "unrelated" reasons or due to "market demand changes". Then their PR representatives can turn around to the press and issue something like "look, nobody worked overtime, stop making stuff up, we are nice people here...".

Many would say that all companies do it and it's not that unusual. What makes Google different that it profits off of its PR image about not being evil, promoting diversity (https://diversity.google/commitments/) and whatnot. Consequently, I think it is also fair to criticize it more when it starts do diverge from that bright and happy PR image.

momokoko• 7 years ago

At will employment and contracting voids all work boundaries.

mruts• 7 years ago

Instead of being paid by the hour, why don’t they just pay salaries? Then they can have everyone work longer hours without cheating them overtime.

ilaksh• 7 years ago

A lot of temp or contracting jobs are like that. Even for software engineers sometimes. In general, temps or contractors are treated as a lower social class and exploited to a small degree or a large degree.

I really hope they get together a very large lawsuit.

Say they work an extra 8 hours a week, * 1.5 * 25 = 37.5, is $300, * 4 is $1200 wages owed per employee per month. Times 12 months is $14400 per employee per year. Plus 30 days wage waiting time penalty is $18400 per employee. Times 150 employees is $2,760,000. Times three years is $8,280,000.

mrosett• 7 years ago

This seems like a classic principal-agent problem. I can guarantee you that Google leadership doesn’t want this happening. It’s illegal, it’s possibly more expensive in the long run, and it leads to PR black eyes like this article. But the executive in charge of the team is motivated to deliver as much as possible without going over budget; gotta get that promotion even if you quietly act against Google’s interests along the way. Designing correct incentives is really hard at Google’s scale and in this case their failure led to really shitty illegal behavior by the management of this team.

diveanon• 7 years ago

I'm sorry, but saying that a contractor who is making $25-$35/hour working in an air conditioned office a victim of sweatshop working conditions is hyperbolic and stupid.

I understand the complaint about unpaid overtime, but the solution is simple. Don't work if you aren't being paid.

I have no love for Googlebet, but this article trivializes the millions of people around the world who actually do work in sweatshops.

'A white-collar sweatshop': Google Assistant contractors allege wage theft

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