Fifteen female Apple employees say the company’s corporate culture is inconsistent with the image it presents, saying Apple fosters a culture of indifference to reports of employee misconduct and actively retaliates against employees who complain about their colleagues, including those who report sexual assault, the Financial Times reports.
They allegedly complained to Apple’s human resources department about sexual abuse, bullying and other incidents, but ultimately suffered a cold shoulder and multiple others claimed retaliation.
Former employee Megan Moore complained that a co-worker took off her underwear while she slept and took pictures of her after a platonic night out. However, an Apple HR representative called the experience “a minor accident.
In an email, Apple Human Resources said, “While his actions were reprehensible as a person and possibly criminal, he did not violate any policies in his work at Apple as an Apple employee.” “Because he has not violated any policies, we will not prevent him from seeking employment opportunities that meet his goals and interests.”
An Apple Store employee complained that she was subjected to two serious sexual assaults, including sexual assault, and said HR did not treat her as a victim, but as a problem. “I was told (the alleged rapist) went on a six-month ‘professional experience’ and they said: ‘Maybe you’ll be better when he comes back?'” In response, she asked for a reassignment, but was denied from above, so ultimately she was unable to escape that one Apple store.
Intellectual property attorney Margaret Anderson called Apple a “toxic work environment” and a “gas furnace” and said a male vice president wanted to fire her on the grounds that she had made false allegations before she arrived at Apple. The allegations. HR allegedly disregarded a document she provided refuting the allegations.
In addition, Apple employees are complaining that Apple is suppressing employee organizations and blocking the channels employees use to complain about unequal pay at the top and in pay.
Cher Scarlett, a software engineer, said that after she filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), there was retaliation from the top. Apple offered her a $213,000 severance package, but she refused to sign it because Apple asked her to turn over a letter sent to the NLRB that included the names of other employees.
It was “their playbook” to give me “enough money” to pay off my legal fees and debts, and they wanted a list of people to retaliate against. I can’t think of how to express how outrageous this is.
In the aftermath, Apple rescinded the request and she accepted the deal, then withdrew the NLRB complaint. However, she deliberately violated the agreement when Apple wrote to the SEC that it “supports the rights of its employees and contractors to speak freely”. Scarlett’s revelations led eight U.S. state treasurers to ask the SEC to investigate “whether Apple misled the Commission and investors.
The most high-profile complaint came from Jayne Whitt, head of Apple’s legal department, who told HR that a colleague had hacked her device and threatened her life and wanted them to take it seriously. However, the employee investigation department said Whitt “failed to act in a professional and appropriate manner” during the meeting, when Whitt “said she was seeking help and experiencing trauma,” the Financial Times wrote.
She then posted a 2,800-word article describing the situation on whistleblower platform The Lioness, which generated a lot of support from Apple employees. However, Apple subsequently fired her for what she described as an “inconsequential” six-year-old indiscretion.
Whit, who is now facing off with Apple, said the Slack situation about the gender income gap opened her eyes.
“I was at a disadvantage — that’s how women struggle,” she said. “If these stories on (Slack) hadn’t come to light, I wouldn’t have been forced to do the right thing and ruin my career.”
Apple told the FT in a statement that it is working to investigate such allegations of misconduct and trying to create “an environment where employees can feel comfortable reporting any issues.”
“Some issues do not reflect our intentions or our policies, and we should have handled them differently, including some of the communications reported in this story. As a result, we will be changing our training and processes.” “Out of respect for the privacy of the individuals involved,” Apple would not comment on specific cases.
