Apple employees are no longer contractually restricted from discussing harassment and discrimination issues.
The Cupertino giant has just posted a note in which it states that ” employees have the right to speak freely about their working conditions, including issues of harassment and discrimination “.
An announcement that follows an independent review
This advance originates from an independent review of the confidentiality clauses imposed by the American firm on its employees, a request for review which was voted on last March by the majority of Apple shareholders.
The initiative was supported by several major players such as the activist fund Nia Impact Capital, the Transparency in Employment Agreement coalition or the tech whistleblower Ifeoma Ozoma. Through this examination, it was possible to observe situations “ in which the $2.3 trillion company may have blocked employees from speaking out on sensitive issues “.
In response, Apple has finally decided to end these confidentiality clauses. A decision that not only applies to the United States, but also extends to international workers, ” which is groundbreaking and should set the trend for the rest of US based companies “said Kristin Hull, one of the promoters of the action.
#AppleToo, a trigger?
The problem posed by these clauses had become sensitive from the #AppleToo movement launched in the summer of 2021 by software engineer Cher Scarlett, in order to discuss working conditions within the company. She eventually had to quit her job and later accused Apple of preventing her from talking in detail about how she left due to the imposition of a discretionary clause.
The richest company in the world, for its part, explained in the report it has just made public that provisions ” that can be interpreted as restricting a person’s ability to talk about such behavior had only been found in a limited number of cases “. She also announces that she is committed not to apply these restrictions “.
Sources: The Verge, 9to5mac
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