Judge rules on Google pay data
The Department of Labor said it will continue its investigation into Google’s employment practices, after a judge limited the amount of information it could receive from the Mountain View company in a Friday ruling.
The department’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs had sought job and salary history from September 2014 from Google. The office audits federal contractors such as Google to determine whether they have discriminatory employment practices, which would violate federal rules. As part of its investigation, the office also wanted the contact information of more than 25,000 Google employees so it could conduct interviews.
The request comes as the technology industry faces recurring complaints that women and underrepresented minorities lack access to jobs and are treated unfairly when they do find work in the field.
On Friday, a judge limited the scope of the job and salary information the department could obtain. For example, the judge denied the office’s request for employees’ date of birth.
also ruled that the department could receive only the contact information of up to 8,000 employees.
The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs “should be able to identify specific areas that are relevant to its investigation rather than willy-nilly search anywhere and everywhere for practices that might be causing a disparity in the compensation data,” administrative law judge Steven Berlin wrote in his recommended decision and order.
The judge also said that the office has not done enough research “to learn how Google’s system works, identify actual policies and practices that might cause the disparity, and then craft focused requests for information that bears on these identified potential causes.” A Department of Labor official testified in April that it had found “systemic compensation disparities against women pretty much across the entire workforce.” The judge said he believes the department lacks enough evidence to support those claims.
Google said it plans to comply with the judge’s order.
“We invest a lot in our efforts to create a fair and inclusive environment for all our employHe ees — across all genders and races,” Eileen Naughton, Google’s vice president of people operations, wrote in a blog post.
The department said the judge’s decision vindicates its actions, as it enforces rules for federal contractors. The department also said the ruling will give it much of the data it requested.
The department does have the option to appeal, but it is unclear whether it will exercise it.
“Contractors will be held to their promise to let (the compliance office) fully audit their employment practices,” Regional Solicitor Janet Herold said in a statement.