Letter from the impacted employee
(auto translated by chatGPT)
I have been working at Google Japan for nearly 10 years. Now, I'm the parent of two children.
What happened to me was when my youngest child was about two months old.
It was a shocking and unbelievable event.
I feel strongly that this is something that absolutely should not happen in the future and I would like to share it with all of you.
I received an email notifying me of my termination from the company during my parental leave, just as my child had turned two months old, and when my eldest child was three years old.
One morning, while breastfeeding and in the midst of 24-hour infant care with no free time, I happened to check my personal email which I could only rarely check.
The email was from a name I didn't recognize, and the content was about having a meeting regarding "your employment at Google."
I was left in shock, my mind going blank.
I didn't even know which email was being referred to.
I thought there must be some mistake, but when I checked my company email next, I found an email with the subject "Regarding your employment at Google."
The email stated, "Unfortunately, it has been determined that your role will be impacted by this review."
At the time, I was nursing 10 times through the night, frequently changing diapers, holding my baby, bathing, all while sharing my life with my 3-year-old daughter.
I was still in the recovery phase postpartum, unable to get proper sleep.
I was uncertain if I could make rational judgments or understand things properly.
As I held my crying baby, I couldn't spend a lot of time reading the email.
I skimmed through it as best I could between taking care of my child.
I still didn't fully understand everything, but I came to realize that the phrase "Unfortunately" was delivering the news of my dismissal without options.
I had been on maternity leave since last year and the company had not shared any of the advance information about this round of layoffs that they had informed other employees about.
I couldn't understand everything through the email alone, and I also had a meeting.
However, there were no answers to my questions, and I was asked to inquire through the inquiry form.
Even after making inquiries through the form, there were no answers.
I finally managed to make contact by emailing a different representative, but the entire process was incredibly disorganized, with my original email getting lost and requests for me to resend it.
I requested meetings with HR and the Head of Google Japan, and I repeatedly asked for an explanation of what would happen if I refused to sign during a total of four meetings.
However, the only answer I received was that I would be "encouraged to sign again".
I felt betrayed by the company that failed to communicate properly.
I felt suddenly discarded by the company. I was constantly anxious even during breastfeeding.
I worried that my stress would stop my breast milk production, that I wouldn't be able to focus on my infant and that this might impact their growth.
I feared that my 3-year-old child would have to leave the nursery that they loved attending...
I felt as if I was being crushed by all these anxieties and fears.
The company only sent a contract and failed to handle the situation sincerely afterward.
There were no phone calls, not even registered mail, only contact through a single email.
Everything remained unclear, and I felt forced to sign when the day for signing arrived.
To me, raising an infant, their approach was too forceful for someone who was raising an infant.
For both parents and their newborn children, this is a very precious and truly important time in life.
I never imagined that Google would resort to such a hard-line measure during this period.
The circumstances of those affected have not been disclosed.
If I was targeted, I think it's scary and unacceptable that perhaps people in the hospital for childbirth or people with babies who need medical care might have also been targeted.
This is absolutely something that should not happen.
The company sought to bargain for a limited period against those in vulnerable situations, adopting a rough and extremely cowardly approach.
Originally, I was planning to extend my maternity leave until December 2023, or even until December 2024 if I could not enroll my child in daycare.
As I was made to leave the company on May 31st, I had my maternity leave cut short by at least six months, or a year and a half if you consider the case of not being able to get my child into daycare.
The company robbed me of the crucial maternity leave period until my child turns one, and further until they could be enrolled in a daycare center.
I can't believe that a profitable large corporation needed to do this to an individual.
I cannot believe that this happened at a company that has been a model for the world, promoting a work environment that is easy for employees and conducive to child-rearing.
Forcing resignation and taking away maternity leave in this manner is not an act that should be allowed in Japan.
And I strongly believe that this must never be repeated in any company in the future.