Apple Agrees to Remove Prohibiting Clauses Regarding Issues With Workplace Harassment & Discrimination

After an independent evaluation of the company's non-disclosure agreement, Apple will no longer restrict employees from raising concerns about harassment and discrimination at work (NDAs). Apple announced in a statement that it will no longer forbid staff members from using confidentiality agreements in employment contracts to keep issues of workplace harassment and discrimination from being brought to their attention. Employee non-disclosure agreements for the corporation contained these restrictions. The Transparency in Employment Agreements (TEA) group, Ifeoma Ozoma, a co-sponsor of the Silenced No More Act, Nia Impact Capital, and the employees all supported this, according to reports. In a statement, Apple stated that "employees have the right to talk freely about their workplace conditions, including harassment and discrimination." It was stated that certain clauses might be viewed as limiting an employee's ability to express their opinions in specific circumstances. The Silence No More Act's provisions are currently included by Apple in separation agreements for workers in the United States, according to The Verge.

We are thrilled to share that @Apple has released their report & is ending use of concealment clauses in employee contracts, both domestically & for international workers. Contract employees too! This is ground breaking shift for the tech industry.

— Nia Impact Capital (@NiaInvest) December 9, 2022

According to Nia Capital Chief Executive Officer Kristin Hull, the elimination of concealment clauses from employee contracts will apply to both contract workers and full-time employees. "That is enormous in and of itself," she remarked. Then, the fact that this commitment extends to both domestic and foreign workers is equally ground-breaking and ought to set the standard for the remaining US-based businesses. Also Read: More Employees Quit Apple After Machine Learning Director Resigns Over Work-From-Office Policy?

Where everything began?

When former Security Team software engineer Cher Scarlett broke her NDA and shared her experience on social media in November of last year, the public became aware of the company's concealing terms. Scarlett published proof of the harassment she experienced from her coworkers. "You can scream into space how horrible you find me. Talk to your friends and coworkers who share your interests. But if you talk about me, especially directly to me, please stop talking about me and where I'm going to see it. She claimed Apple engaged in coercive and oppressive behaviour since the corporation forbade her from discussing her departure in detail as a condition of a separation agreement. She later became the driving force behind the #AppleToo movement, which saw hundreds of accounts of harassment, retaliation, and discrimination in the workplace revealed. A group of treasurers requested the Securities and Exchange Commission to look into the situation because of the movement and several petitions that were filed. Following employee complaints about Apple's working conditions, the National Labor Relations Board also opened an investigation.