Glassdoor has released its 2020 Best Places to Work list, and for the first time since 2010, both Facebook (NASDAQ: FB) and Google (NASDAQ: GOOGL) have been absent from the top ten.
Glassdoor's Best Places to Work list has, for a decade uninterrupted, featured Google and/or Facebook in its top 10 employers. The 2020 list has the two tech giants noticeably absent from the top ten, with Google dropping slightly to #11, and Facebook plummeting to #23. Glassdoor's criteria for the list are entirely employee driven, with all consideration to a company's presence on the list stemming from the employee reviews of their company on Glassdoor's website.
The plummet that Google and Facebook have taken is not so unexpected when one considers the turbulent year both companies have had. It's no secret that the American opinion of big tech companies has declined in the face of the myriad controversies that they have faced throughout 2019. While many workers at Facebook and Google report job satisfaction, outside factors such as low public opinion may weigh heavily on them.
While many employees are satisfied with their work at Google and Facebook, the scandals that destroyed their reputations also reveal a troubling workplace culture at both companies. Google came under fire recently for the firing of four employees on Thanksgiving in a move that triggered a federal investigation. Allegations levied against Google include suppression of employee activism and union-busting activities. This is not the first federal investigation into Google's workplace culture, as the company was previously investigated for firing a worker for his political leanings. The company admitted no policy violations when settling with the National Labor Relations Board.
Facebook's reputation has taken a severe beating throughout of 2019 in the face of numerous scandals, but it was perhaps revelations regarding its workplace culture that might have caused its considerable drop on Glassdoor's list. A June expose by The Verge revealed the horrific conditions Facebook contractors faced at a Tampa office. Most alarming was the in-office death of employee Keith Utley, who died of a heart attack at his desk. Workers at the Tampa, who worked as contractors for Facebook, willingly broke their Non-Disclosure Agreements to expose the horrifying conditions to The Verge. An earlier report focused on a Phoenix office where similarly appalling conditions were reported, including an outbreak of bedbugs.
Contractors working for Cognizant, the vendor who owns the office where Utley died, are content moderators for Facebook, enforcing the social media website's terms of service and content rules. In doing so, they are exposed to horrific content such as child pornography and candid footage of grisly murders. Cognizant contractors share their woes with contractors working for CPL Resources in Dublin, Ireland, which is the subject of a December 3 expose by Vice. The expose uncovered similarly appalling workplace moral as the result of the content workers are exposed to, though workers at the Dublin office are now filing a lawsuit against both CPL and Facebook, seeking to improve working conditions for moderators.