In recent years, discussing gender politics at work has become a generally bad idea. There is no way to have this discussion without somehow offending someone.
A gender discussion at work recently led to an engineer being fired from internet giant Google, according a recent report from reuters.com.
The engineer sent out a company-wide internal memo proposing biological causes for gender inequalities in the technology industry. Google then fired him for advancing dangerous gender stereotypes and violating the company’s code of conduct.
Be Careful at Work
The most obvious take away from this story is the importance of being careful at work. When it comes to gender issues in the workplace, it is probably best to keep your opinions to yourself, especially if they are obviously opposed to the mainstream or your company’s views.
Although you opinions are valid, it is important to make sure you are using the correct forum for expressing these views. Internal company email is not the appropriate forum.
With this firing coming from such a high-profile employer as Google, the backlash could create interesting ripples throughout the employment law community. Our attorneys will be keeping an eye on this case to see how this plays out, and we will keep you updated on any major developments.
