Google 'People Operations' Head Steps Down As Company Faces Mounting Employee Protests

Alphabet Inc. GOOGL GOOG subsidiary Google's vice president for "people operations" is departing from the role, Fortune reported Monday.

What Happened

Eileen Naughton, the head of Google's human resources department, who has been with the company since 2006, is leaving to spend more time with her family, she said in a statement.

Naughton would assist Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai and chief financial officer Ruth Porat in finding her replacement.

"I'm at the very beginning of the process, and wanted to let everyone know upfront," Naughton said in a statement to Fortune. "I'll be working with Sundar and Ruth to find a great leader for the people operations team."

The HR head will continue in another undisclosed role at the company, perhaps one that will require lesser commitment.

"Over the past 13 years, Eileen has made major contributions to the company in numerous areas," CEO Pichai told Fortune. "We're grateful to Eileen for all she's done and look forward to her next chapter at Google."

Why It Matters

Naughton's resignation comes at a time when Google is facing increased protests from the company's employees.

The gap between the management and the workers has widened as the executives face criticism over allegedly laying off staff for unionizing and activism.

More than 20,000 Google employees staged a walkout worldwide in November 2018 as a protest against the company's sexual harassment policy, Fortune reported at the time. The company removed some of the top executives accused of sexual harassment, but with multi-million dollar severance packages.

Many of the controversial decisions in the recent times that led to a standoff with the employees came directly from the top management and not the human resources department, Fortune noted, but it has been caught in the midst nonetheless.

Price Action

Alphabet shares closed 2% higher at $1,508.66 on Monday.

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