Last week, four former senior Dell human resources executives filed a $500 million class action lawsuit against Dell claiming the company is guilty of systemic gender and age discrimination.
According to Channel Register, the lawsuit, "alleges Dell unfairly targeted women and employees over 40 in the big round of recent lay-offs, which sees 10% of staff worldwide – about 8,800 in total – losing their jobs. The cull will result in men holding 80% of management positions."
The lawsuit is intended to change Dell’s discriminatory practices related to pay, job placement, promotion and termination, and it asks for $500 million in damages for the thousands of former employees who are part of the class (made up of current and former Dell female managers and executives as well as older employees who were unfairly discriminated against during Dell’s huge 2007 and 2008 layoffs).
According to the actual lawsuit documents, Dell is referred to as an "old-boys network" citing the fact that none of the company’s 14 top executives are women. The lawsuit also alleges that distinct pay and promotion gaps exist within Dell because of the company’s discriminatory practices.
Ouch! What do you think? How will Dell defend themselves on this one? It looks like the statistics say it all here. It will be interesting to hear Dell’s response. So far, Dell’s representatives are simply saying the company doesn’t comment on pending litigation but they have stated that the lawsuit has no merit. Let’s wait and see, shall we?
Susan Gunelius
Susan Gunelius is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Women on Business. She is a 30-year veteran of the marketing field and has authored a dozen books about marketing, branding, and social media, including the highly popular Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing, 30-Minute Social Media Marketing, Content Marketing for Dummies, Blogging All-in-One for Dummies and Kick-ass Copywriting in 10 Easy Steps. Susan’s marketing-related content can be found on Entrepreneur.com, Forbes.com, MSNBC.com, BusinessWeek.com, and more. Susan is President & CEO of KeySplash Creative, Inc., a marketing communications company. She has worked in corporate marketing roles and through client relationships with AT&T, HSBC, Citibank, Intuit, The New York Times, Cox Communications, and many more large and small companies around the world. Susan also speaks about marketing, branding and social media at events around the world and is frequently interviewed by television, online, radio, and print media organizations about these topics. She holds an MBA in Management and Strategy and a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing and is a Certified Professional Career Coach (CPCC).
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