Alphabet Inc.'s Google is famous for generous benefits and luxurious working conditions, but more than half of its workforce is not full time. (Photo: Shutterstock)
Google will require contracting companies it does business with to give employees health care, parental leave and other benefits. The decision comes after months of activism from Google staff and contractors asking for equal treatment.
The new policy will require health benefits, sick leave, a $15 minimum wage, paid parental leave and $5,000 a year for education, a Google spokeswoman wrote in an email.
More than half the internet giant's workforce is not full time. The company pays for tens of thousands of contractors, temporary workers and vendors — known internally as TVCs — who do everything from serving food in cafeterias to software code. Some of these people are employed by large staffing firms, including Adecco Group AG and Randstad NV.
Alphabet Inc.'s Google is famous for generous benefits and luxurious working conditions. Now, contracting firms will have to offer some of these expensive benefits, too.
Google's top requirement is comprehensive health care that covers the employee and their dependents and includes hospitalization, preventative and wellness services, laboratory and emergency services, prescription drugs, mental health services, labor and delivery, newborn and pediatric services, oral and vision care, rehabilitative and habilitative care, and counseling.
A Google representative told the Hill that the company will give suppliers until 2022 to institute the health-care benefits. The Hill reported Google's move earlier.
Contracting firms must also provide a minimum of eight days of sick leave, plus 12 weeks of paid leave for birth parents, non-birth and adoptive parents. The $5,000 a year for education will be in the form of tuition reimbursement to learn new skills or take courses, Google said.
“Going forward, in order to do business with Google, all companies that employ U.S. vendors and temporary staff will need to provide these things,” the spokeswoman said.
Read more:
- Google bows to employee pressure, ends forced arbitration
- Inside Google's invisible workforce
- Shareholders, workers call on Google to fix 'diversity crisis'
Copyright 2019 Bloomberg. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Complete your profile to continue reading and get FREE access to BenefitsPRO, part of your ALM digital membership.
Your access to unlimited BenefitsPRO content isn’t changing.
Once you are an ALM digital member, you’ll receive:
- Breaking benefits news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
- Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
- Critical converage of the property casualty insurance and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, PropertyCasualty360 and ThinkAdvisor
Already have an account? Sign In Now
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
