HRReview reports that the social media app Pinterest has agreed to pay out £16.9 million after former Chief Operating Officer, Françoise Brougher, brought claims of gender discrimination against the company.
Françoise Brougher, who joined the company in 2018, sued Pinterest after claiming she had been paid less than her male peers, been left out of meetings after raising the issue of equal pay and had been told that she was “not collaborative” once she offered constructive criticism regarding Pinterest’s products and services.
In Ms. Brougher’s own words, she felt that she was “fired not for the results [she] achieved but… for speaking out about the rampant discrimination, hostile work environment and misogyny that permeates Pinterest”.
Ms. Brougher laid out several recommendations that all companies could take in order to improve their Diversity and Inclusion and foster a positive and welcoming culture:
- Stop making grandiose statements without taking meaningful action
- Recognise and dismantle the system of gender bias
- Take effective, proactive steps to root out discrimination
- Focus on retention, not hiring
- Stop making big decisions in ad-hoc, opaque ways
- Embrace candour and passionate leadership
- Hold the board of Directors accountable
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