Google's Diversity Scandal Highlights the need for clarification on Social Media Screening
Google are no stranger to a public scandal. Whether it’s using their technology in weapons or abuses of user data, it seems that not a week goes by without fresh criticism. One of the more recent problems they’ve faced relates to a historic blog post by their Head of Diversity Strategy and Research, Kamau Bobb. In the lengthy, now removed, post on his personal blog, Bobb wrote that adherents of the Jewish faith had an "insatiable appetite for war" amongst other inflammatory and antisemitic comments.
Bobb wrote the post blog back in 2007 when he was a research associate at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Entitled ‘If I Were a Jew’ the post was brought to light by the Washington Free Beacon and was quickly picked up by news outlets across the US. In the post, Bobb discussed his opinions on a range of topics. These included: U.S politics, education policy and racial equality. However, there was a particular focus on Israeli military action in Gaza. He also claimed that Jews had an "insensitivity to the suffering [of] others."
Bobb has now been removed from his position as diversity chief. In a statement to the BBC, a Google spokesperson revealed that, despite calls from critics, Kamau would not be leaving the company entirely. In their statement they said:
"We unequivocally condemn the past writings by a member of our diversity team that are causing deep offence and pain to members of our Jewish community," they said. These writings are unquestionably hurtful. The author acknowledges this and has apologised. He will no longer be part of our diversity team... and will focus on his STEM work.”
The response from Jewish employees within Google, ranged from calls for Bobb to be fired, all the way to one employee stating that “digging up an old blog from over a decade ago feels like a witch hunt.” This last response is a key point when it comes to the growing issue of how employers handle employee conduct outside of the workplace In most situations, an employee's conduct outside of the workplace has little bearing on their relationship with their employer. But, in our digital world, past comments can become front-page news visible to millions in a matter of hours. In this modern environment, social media screening is becoming a more common consideration for those recruiting.
This is of particular relevance to UK employers, following the swathe of abuse several Black England players received in the wake of their Euro 2020 final defeat. In a high-profile example, Savills estate agents have recently suspended one of their employees pending an investigation into whether racists tweets from his account were the result of a hack or of his own volition. In a statement, Savills said: “Savills confirms that the staff member connected with the racist comments placed on Twitter claims that his account was taken over by a third party and that the matter is being referred to the Greater Manchester Police.
“Savills has acted swiftly and confirms that the individual is suspended from duty pending the findings of this investigation, which is being progressed as a priority. Savills has a policy of zero tolerance on any form of racial abuse or discrimination.”
Despite social media being such a familiar aspect of our lives, the legality of social media screening itself is still very much a legal grey area. In research published in 2015, 84% of employers regularly looked up their candidates via a Google search or on social media. While this is expected on professional networking sites such as LinkedIn, browsing a potential candidates personal Facebook or Instagram profile could be considered more dubious. Researching your candidates in such a way could leave employers open to discrimination claims if it came to light something on their private profile was a determining factor in the recruitment process.
What is key for employers is having an appropriate social media and internet policy in place. This should cover any concerns that may be had about how someone conducts themselves in online spaces. If you are going to be screening candidate's social media, it is of the utmost importance that you make any potential recruits aware of this.
Personnel Checks have not yet adopted social media screening into our product offering. This is because so much remains to be clarified from a legal and ethical standpoint as to whether this kind of check is proportionate for most hiring managers. However, we are watching closely to see how this type of background screening evolves in the near future.
For more information about how Personnel Checks background screening solutions can aid your organisation, get in touch! You can give us a call on 01254 355688 or drop us an email at letstalk@personnelchecks.co.uk