Yielding to pressure, Google sets minimum wage, adds benefits for temps

The company has been slammed for relying on temporary and independent workers who don’t enjoy the same perks and protections as regular employees. The move got kudos online.

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When changing internal policy because of external pressure, you must make a big splash.

After all, your organization is making changes to curry favor with outside critics and stakeholders, so it’s essential that the news reach them in a convincing and authentic way. For Google, that meant turning to media outlets to share its news.

The big tech company has been criticized for its treatment of temporary workers, as many have scrutinized compensation overall. The issue got more attention as stories about executive misconduct, coverups of sexual harassment and misbehavior and the company’s unorthodox approach to the gender pay gap made headlines.

After the company made changes in response to an organized employee walkout, some  decided the company wasn’t doing enough. A group of workers wrote an open letter to CEO Sundar Pichai, which read in part:

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