- A Black Facebook employee had filed a complaint with the EEOC alleging discrimination.
- The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is looking into allegations of racial bias and hiring practices at Facebook.
- An EEOC determination could lead to reforms, even if it’s just through public pressure.
- The EEOC tapped investigators for systemic cases by August 2020
Facebook has publicly committed to fighting racism, but there are concerns that aren’t translating to its recruitment practices. Reuters sources say the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is investigating possible “systemic” racism in Facebook’s hiring and job promotions. Facebook program manager Oscar Veneszee Jr. and four candidates have reportedly accused the social network of discriminating against Black applicants and staff through subjective evaluations and pushing racial stereotypes. Three of the people brought the case in July 2020, with a fourth joining in December.
Facebook under probe for racial basis.
The full extent of the alleged violations isn’t clear, one of the policies in dispute stems from hiring bonuses. Those referrals tended to reflect the existing employee demographics and disadvantage Black applicants. They make up 3.9 percent of US employees as of last June.
There are no guarantees the EEOC investigation will lead to formal action. The Commission declined to comment, but Facebook said it took discrimination accusations “seriously” and investigated “every case.” This isn’t the first time Facebook’s hiring has come under fire. In 2017, a recent report pointed out that a handful of executives typically made final hiring decisions. They tended to use metrics that favored culturally similar candidates, such as people endorsed by existing staff or those who went to certain schools.
The employees allege that Facebook discriminates against Black candidates.
Attorneys for three job applicants and operations manager Oscar Veneszee Jr. told about the probe. The employees allege that Facebook discriminates against Black candidates and employees by relying on subject evaluations and promoting racial stereotypes, according to the news outlet. Veneszee and two applicants that were denied jobs last year brought a charge to the EEOC in July, and a third rejected applicant joined their case in December. The Commission brought in systemic investigators by last August. They received detailed briefing papers from both sides over the last four months.
The commission has not brought allegations against Facebook and its investigation may not result in findings of wrongdoing. Veneszee filed his complaint with the EEOC in July alleging that the platform didn’t give Black workers equal opportunities. He told NPR at the time “we have a Black people problem.”
