A group of Apple employees are organizing to fight discrimination, racism and sexism within the company and the failure of management departments to address them, in a rare public statement of problems within the company.
Last week, a group of employees launched #AppleToo, a campaign to gather and share the experiences of current and former employees on inequality, fear and abuse. The group hopes to push the company to address such complaints more effectively.
"Apple has long avoided public scrutiny. When we seek accountability and redress for the ongoing injustices we witness or experience in the workplace, we face a pattern of isolation, degradation and neglect," employees said in a public statement.
From the start, organizers say, the initiative has provided hundreds of stories from employees across the company. 75% of them testified that they have experienced some form of discrimination and almost half testified that they have faced sexism and revenge.
75% of the stories we've received involved some form of discrimination, and nearly half involved reports of sexism, retaliation, and HR reports that were dismissed. 1/4 involved racism or ableism. More than a third involved harassment or assault, the majority of which was sexual.
- Apple Workers #AppleToo (@AppleLaborers) August 30, 2021
It seems Apple is the next company to face such charges. In 2018, Google faced protests worldwide from employees claiming sexual harassment, gender inequality and racism.
Regarding the workers' claims, Apple said:
"We are and have always been deeply committed to creating and maintaining a positive and inclusive workplace. "We take all concerns seriously and fully investigate whenever a concern arises and, out of respect for the privacy of each individual involved, we do not discuss specific employee issues."
