Facing claims that it underpays female employees, Google conducted a pay equity study this year that instead found men were earning less than their peers, leading it to issue raises to thousands of men. The company gave $9.7 million in additional compensation to 10,677 employees—both men and women, and the breakdown isn't known—following the annual study, which reviewed the wages of 91% of Google employees within job types, job levels, performance, and location. "Men account for about 69% of the company’s work force, but they received a higher percentage of the money," per the New York Times. The paper adds the results—coming amid a Labor Department investigation into whether the company systematically underpays women, and various lawsuits making such claims—were "to the surprise of just about everyone."
Yet the study did not address whether women are hired at a lower pay grade than men with similar qualifications, per Ars Technica. In one lawsuit, a former Google engineer claims she was grouped in with recent college graduates despite four years of experience, while men of the same qualifications received better pay. "Because leveling, performance ratings and promotion impact pay, this year we are undertaking a comprehensive review of these processes to make sure the outcomes are fair and equitable for all employees," Google's lead analyst for pay equity wrote in a Monday blog post. Just 228 employees received a combined salary increase of $270,000 following the 2017 study. The 2018 analysis was the first to factor in new hires, who accounted for 49% of the adjustments. (More Google stories.)
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