In response to the investigation, Google reissued the statement it unveiled on the heels of the claims: “We dismissed four folks who were engaged in intentional and often recurring violations of our longstanding data security guidelines, like systematically accessing and disseminating other employees’ components and do the job. No one has been dismissed for elevating issues or debating the company’s routines.”

The fired employees — Laurence Berland, Paul Duke, Rebecca Rivers and Sophie Waldman — declare they have been fired from Google for engaging in lawfully shielded labor arranging. The team, which filed a lawsuit versus the company past week, reported they want to be certain their firings do not scare latest Google staff from talking out.

Google stated very last 7 days it prohibits retaliation in the place of work.

In a submit printed on Medium, the previous employees deny wrongdoing and mentioned they would be submitting NLRB fees. The group also mentioned they were being vocal in advocating versus certain conclusions or steps taken by Google and ended up involved in issues such as signing letters to cancel controversial government contracts, arranging and collaborating in walkouts, and advocating for unionization.

Google was prolonged regarded an great of workplace society, with enviable rewards which include free of charge foods, on-web site childcare and an emphasis on transparency. But the company’s popularity is altering as tensions with workforce continue to rise and backlash toward its guidelines grows.

In recent decades, Google personnel have engaged in protests and arranged walkouts over challenges this kind of as the company’s handling of sexual harassment allegations towards executives, statements of inadequate motion on weather alter, pursuit of army contracts, the prospective improvement of a censored research engine in China and worker policies.