- A former Google employee who says she was discriminated and retaliated against because of her pregnancy is planning on suing the company over the matter, according to a Vice report on Friday.
- The woman, Chelsey Glasson, was the author of an internal memo that spread quickly within the tech giant earlier this month, causing an uproar amongst employees internally.
- In one situation, described in the memo, while discussing her upcoming leave, Glasson said her manager questioned the benefits of bed rest due to a recent NPR report she had heard.
- Glasson has said the stress of the situation at work leading up to her leave contributed to complications with her pregnancy.
- With plans to bring a suit against Google, and, in part, raise awareness about pregnancy discrimination, Glasson has launched a GoFundMe page to raise $300,000 to cover potential legal fees.
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A former Google employee who says she was discriminated and retaliated against because of her pregnancy is planning on suing the company over the matter, according to a Vice report on Friday.
The woman, Chelsey Glasson, was the author of an internal memo that spread quickly within the tech giant earlier this month, causing an uproar amongst employees over allegations of discriminatory treatment by Google's management team leading up her maternity leave. Before news of the potential lawsuit on Friday, Glasson had remained anonymous on the matter in public forums.
In one situation, described in the memo, while discussing her upcoming leave, Glasson said her manager questioned the benefits of bed rest due to a recent NPR report she had heard. In the same meeting, that manager allegedly told Gleason that a management role - which she currently held - would not be guaranteed upon her return and that she may consider interviewing with other teams at Google.
Glasson said in her memo that the stress of the situation at work leading up to her leave contributed to complications with her pregnancy.
With plans to bring a suit against Google, and, in part, raise awareness about pregnancy discrimination, Glasson has launched a GoFundMe page to raise $300,000 to cover potential legal fees. Any remaining funds, the former Googler says, will be donated to others fighting similar pregnancy discrimination cases. Glasson now works at Facebook.
When Glasson's first memo circulated internally in early August, a Google spokesperson told Business Insider: "We prohibit retaliation in the workplace and publicly share our very clear policy."
Google declined to comment to Business Insider upon Friday's news that Glasson was planning to file a lawsuit against the company.
The memo is the latest of several recent workplace conflicts at Google that have caused a stir. In April, two of the main organizers for the company's worldwide employee walkout, Claire Stapleton and Meredith Whittaker, said they were retaliated against for their efforts in leading protests against the company's handling of sexual harassment and discrimination cases. Stapleton said she was demoted as a result and Whittaker said she was asked to abandon certain responsibilities. Both women have since left the company.
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