Nike gets accused of hostile culture to women in new suit

Nike gets accused of hostile culture to women in new suitNike gets accused of hostile culture to women in new suitFour ex-Nike employees said that they endured a hostile work culture at the sportswear giant and were paid less than their male peers, according to a lawsuit seeking class-action status that was filed on Thursday in Portland.The suit said that the company failed to address womens complaints. Womens career trajectories arebluntedbecause they are marginalized and passed over for promotions, the complaint alleges. Nike judges women moreharshly than men, which means lower salaries, smaller bonuses, and fewer stock options.Womens complaints to human resources about discrimination and harassment, including sexualassault, areignored ormishandled.Male schwimmbadbehavior is rarely penalized.For awoman tosucceed at Nike, she must far outshineher male counterparts.Plaintiff Kelly Cahill, who worked at Nike for four years, said that she was paid $20,000 less than a male peer in 2017. As part of the employees demands, they want Nike to institute reliable standards for performance and pay decisions.Nike lawsuit alleges gender discriminationNike was already in hot water for a poor work culture before the lawsuit. Earlier this year, a group of female Nike employees began an informal survey about sexual harassment and discrimination they faced at the company, which kickstarted a more formal inquiry. The executive purge that has occurred after this workplace behavior investigation included Trevor Edwards, the Nike brand president.To address compensation gaps found in the internal review, Nikesaid in July that it would adjust pay for more than 7,000 staff out of its 74,000 employees around the world to give more competitive pay and to support a culture in which employees feel included and empowered.