After years of uncertainty, more than one thousand Google workers have directly petitioned their bosses to offer some promises of job security.
Google is not alone in cutting swathes of jobs in what has been years of turbulence and anxiety for those working in the tech sector.
There are predictions that more bad news will come, as AI could potentially replace thousands of jobs in the next year alone.
What Are Googlers Asking For?
The petition was published by the Alphabet Workers Union and directly addresses Google’s CEO, Sundar Pichai, by his first name.
Speaking for workers across the US and Canada, its states that the signees are “concerned about instability at Google that impacts our ability to do high quality, impactful work.” It adds: “The company is clearly in a strong financial position, making the loss of so many valuable colleagues without explanation hurt even more.”
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The petition asks specifically that Google guarantees severance to every laid off worker. These packages should be “equal to the packages offered in January 2023” at a minimum, say the petitioners.
They also ask that there be “buyouts before layoffs” and voluntary layoffs before forced job cuts.
Timing Is Key
The petition has been published just as the company launches into its annual performance reviews. The petitioners have explicitly asked that the company drops its GRAD quotas. They write that the system “encourages a particular distribution of ratings over employees rather than considering our individual merit,” adding that it “erodes our confidence that we will be recognized for high quality and impactful work.” Google has responded to CNBC stating that it does not force ratings.
The timing also nods to the fact that some of the company’s biggest culls have kicked off at the start of the year. This time last year, the Augmented Reality team was hit with cuts as well as the company’s advertising team. The year before that, Google cut around 12,000 jobs.
Will the Petition Have an Impact?
The petition currently has 1,343 signatures, which is a small percentage of the company’s 2023 headcount of 182,000. The petitioners say that they are hopeful that they are actually being listened to.
“We understand that difficult decisions are sometimes necessary for the good of the business, but we believe that they can be made in a way that is more equitable for workers.” – Google employee petition
However, in October, the company’s CFO said on an earnings call that she intends to “always push a little further” when it comes to cost cutting. Anat Ashkenazi said that the company had “an aggressive roadmap ahead for 2025.” She added that the leadership team will need to continue to cut costs to “try and offset some of these” investments. It seems that Googlers might be right to be concerned.
