It is only natural for employees in California to want to receive beneficial treatment from their employers. They put in hard work to provide good products and/or services, and expect their recompense to reflect that. At the same time, they may understand that their companies may also have to deal with certain constraints forced on them either through regulation or the current marketplace.
Yet one expectation that workers should expect is fair and equal treatment. This extends to their compensation, where one might assume their compensation to compare to those within their organization who do similar work. If a disparity does exist, legal recourse may be the best option in addressing it.
Judge certifies class-action filed in female employees at Google
Such was the course of action taken by four female employees at Google. Per Business Insider, the group brought action against the company after over 10,000 other female employees showed that their compensation (on average) was roughly $16,000 less annually than that of their female counterparts performing similar work. Google representatives claim the company addressed these issues through equity initiatives implemented in the last several years. Even still, a California state court judge recently certified the group’s class action, clearing a way for the claim to proceed through the legal system.
Accountability for equity failures
Those experiencing unfair treatment in the workplace may often feel intimidated against speaking out (fearing that their actions may lead to consequences from their employers). Yet workplace protections exist to shield them from just that. Through their individual efforts, they may discover that they are not alone in their frustrations, thus empowering them to press forward to improve the working standards for all of their colleagues.