Google has officially stated today that it will require its extended non-employee workforce in the United States to receive a slew of benefits. Google’s list of required benefits for temp workers includes a minimum wage of $15 per hour, 12 weeks of parental leave, and comprehensive health care coverage.
This move by Google has been made after a majority of Google’s non-employee task force complained and protested that they were not being given the benefits they deserve for the work they do at Google.
Google’s Temp Workforce Asks for Better Benefits
Google is among the biggest technology giants in the world and the company’s operations largely rely on individuals, groups, and organizations that aren’t an employee of the company. Google delegates a large number of its operations to temporary vendors and contract workers.
Most of the people from Google’s temporary non-employee workforce have had this complain that the benefits and wages offered to temporary workers aren’t nearly as close as offered to the company’s full employees.
The clear discrimination of full-time employees among all of Google’s employees and other such ethical misconducts from Google’s side has caused the company’s temporary, vendor, and contract workers to call the company out and ask for better conditions. Thousands of these workers wrote a letter published on Medium.com, titled “Invisible No Longer” and addressed to none other than Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Google.
The Guardian, a popular mainstream news outlet reported that over 900 employees signed the letter which essentially asks Google to ensure better living and working conditions for the company’s temporary, vendor, and contract workforce. Thankfully, Google responded to the protests.
Google Ensures Better Conditions for Temp Workforce
The tech giant has responded to the protests and issued an official response on the matter. Google says that the companies who provide temporary and vendor workforce to Google will have to offer apt health care benefits and a proper plan for leaves. According to Google, organizations will have to offer health care benefits for their employees’ dental, mental health, oral, and pediatric service requirements.
The companies providing Google with temp staff will also have to offer a minimum of eight days of sick leave. Moreover, temp workers cannot be paid by less than $15 per hour by their respective handlers. Lastly, a $5,000 per year tuition reimbursement is also required by Google. The details on the changes in the technology company’s policies were first reported by The Hill.
Google says that the health care requirements will take effect before 2022, but not right away. Wage requirements, however, will be enforced by the end of this year. The company came under fire for this timeline by Tech Workers Coalition which has very recently tweeted, “The $15 minimum wage requirement doesn’t come into effect till 2020 and health benefits not till 2022. Changes announced today apply to no one working right now—but workers can’t wait years to pay rent, see doctors and care for their families.”
