14 DAY TRIAL // Google is facing another lawsuit, this time for age discrimination accusations coming from a 64-year-old software engineer who claims that the multinational corporation refused to hire him four years back.
The man, who was 60 at the time, wants monetary compensation for not having been granted admission as a Google worker and also to have the rules changed so that competent people can get a job at the tech company, irrespective of their age.
The lawsuit states that Google’s employees’ medium age is 29 years old, and that one of the company’s main hiring criteria is in fact age, making it difficult, if not impossible, for older people to get a job in the industry.
The plaintiff also argues that Google rejected his job application despite his resume and the qualifications that would have made him the ideal person for the job.
Robert Heath, the man who is pressing charges against Google, even said that Google deemed him "a great candidate," but in the end, denied him the opportunity to work for the prestigious company.
It is not the first lawsuit of the kind
The lawsuit brings Google’s declaration from its Diversity homepage into question, indicating the fact that that company openly admits that they are not standing very well in this area, but that the webpage does not include any "age-related workforce data."
In the complaint, Mr. Heath reveals that Google rebuffed his application despite the fact that he had a vast experience, having worked for companies such as IBM, Compaq and General Dynamics.
The class action lawsuit filed by the man also speaks in the name of around 40 other job applicants who have been in similar situations because of their age.
Furthermore, the case of Reid v. Google, Inc. was also brought into question as evidence of Google’s age discriminatory practices, as it was revealed at the time that the man’s colleagues had made some unflattering remarks on his age. It came to light that the employee was often referred to as an "old man," an "old guy," and an "old fuddy-duddy."
In response to the claims, Google declared that "the facts will show that this case is without merit and we intend to defend ourselves vigorously, " Computer World reports.