Apple executive addresses #AppleToo employee concerns in internal video

After a group of Apple employees organizing themselves under the #AppleToo moniker said at the end of August that they’ve collected almost 500 stories from current and former Apple employees about workplace issues including pay equity, racism, sexism, discrimination, retaliation, bullying, sexual and other forms of harassment, and sexual assault, Apple’s senior vice president of Retail + People, Deirdre O’Brien, has addressed the issue in an internal video.

Sami Fathi for MacRumors:

In the video, which was seen by MacRumors, Deirdre O’Brien tells staff who are experiencing workplace issues to talk to their managers and “business relations partner.” She says that Apple has a “confidential process to thoroughly investigate, in a way that treats everyone with dignity and respect.”

According to employees, O’Brien’s suggestion to consult a manager has not worked for some employees. “The system is not working… it’s set up to work against you from the beginning,” one employee told MacRumors, requesting to stay anonymous.

That employee said that workers are often told by their managers that their pay is “within range” for their field, leading to ambiguity about why their salary might not be on par with another employee. The person also said that escalating complaints to Apple’s people team can lead to manager retaliation.

MacDailyNews Take: In the video, O’Brien says that Apple has already “achieved pay equity” in the U.S., but she says that it is still an “ongoing effort.”