Google Employees Grill Executives Over Pay Raises and Morale Issues

By Thea Felicity

May 09, 2024 09:49 AM EDT

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Google employees walk off the job to protest the company's handling of sexual misconduct claims, on November 1, 2018, in Mountain View, California.
(Photo : Mason Trinca/Getty Images)

Following Google's strong financial performance in the first quarter of the year, employees have expressed concerns about how the company is managed and how its employees are treated. 

Specifically, employees are concerned that leadership decisions don't align with their well-being, particularly noting the preference for stock buybacks over investing in employee growth and career advancement opportunities.

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Google Employees' Concerns

At a company-wide meeting attended by CEO Sundar Pichai and CFO Ruth Porat, CNBC reported that employees brought up issues such as implementing cost-cutting measures, recent layoffs, and a perceived decrease in overall morale among the workforce.

Google has recently reached a market value of over $2 trillion, but employees are unhappy with their compensation, which hasn't seen increases. They also feel there's a lack of transparency regarding the company's cost-cutting measures. 

Porat acknowledged that the company had made mistakes in managing expenses relative to revenue growth in the past. She stressed the importance of adopting sustainable financial practices moving forward. 

CEO Pichai, on the other hand, addressed concerns about declining morale by admitting that the company had hired more staff than necessary during the pandemic. This overstaffing prompted the company to reevaluate its direction and make necessary adjustments.

Regardless, employees are still seeking clarity on Google's strategy regarding its workforce size and the duration of cost-cutting measures. Growing concerns about job security and the potential relocation of roles to lower-cost locations exist.

Google assured us there would be upcoming pay raises and ongoing investment in critical areas.

READ MORE: CEO Sundar Pichai's Wealth Nears $1 Billion, Thanks to Google's AI Growth

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