Did Google fire an employee for reporting manager's lewd behavior?
What's the story
A senior employee at Google has claimed she was made redundant, after reporting a manager who had shared explicit details of his swinger lifestyle and showed a nude picture of his wife. The woman, Victoria Woodall, made the allegations during an employment tribunal hearing. She said she faced retaliation from the tech giant for blowing the whistle on this misconduct.
Investigation findings
Internal probe confirms sexual harassment allegations
Google UK's internal investigation corroborated Woodall's allegations, finding that the manager had sexually harassed two female employees by touching them without their consent. The company's report also revealed other instances of inappropriate behavior, including the manager making lewd comments to staff and showing a female colleague an explicit photo of his wife. Despite these findings, Google denies any retaliation against Woodall and claims she became "paranoid" after her whistleblowing.
Retaliation claims
Woodall alleges retaliation and 'boys' club' culture at Google
In her claim, Woodall alleged that her boss waged a "relentless campaign of retaliation" against her after she reported the manager's misconduct. This was because the complaint also implicated his close friends who were later disciplined for witnessing the behavior and not challenging it. She alleged a "boys' club" culture at Google, claiming that until December 2022, the company funded an exclusive men's event called the "chairman's lunch."
Company stance
Google's response to Woodall's allegations
Google has denied all of Woodall's allegations, including the existence of a "boys' club" culture. The firm said an internal investigation found no such culture and ended the event as it was no longer in line with its policies. Despite these denials, Woodall claims she was subjected to retaliatory actions after reporting the manager's misconduct, and later faced redundancy during a broader reorganization process in March 2024.
Ongoing situation
Woodall's current status and Google's defense
Currently, Woodall is still receiving long-term sickness payments due to work-related stress. The company denies that she was made redundant for whistleblowing, claiming her position was one of 26 roles across the team and wider department that were closed. Google also disputes any claims that its executives attempted to make Woodall redundant or retaliated against her for her whistleblowing actions.