Google's HR boss is stepping down, while tensions between management and employees continue to heat up

eileen naughton

Google's head of HR Eileen Naughton announced Monday that she would be leaving her position later in the year, as tensions between employees and management continue to roil the company.
Naughton has headed up the Peoples Operations team at Google for four years, helping recruit 70,000 new employees and double the company workforce.
But her tenure has also been controversial, as employees have protested against the company's handling of sexual misconduct claims and tightening oversight over its employees.
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Google's head of human resources Eileen Naughton announced that she would be stepping down from her role this year, as tensions between employees and management continue to roil the company. The news was first reported by Fortune.

Naughton will stay on at Google, but it's not clear in what role. Neither she nor Google provided a reason for the change.

"I'm at the very beginning of the process, and wanted to let everyone know upfront, as I'll be working with Sundar and Ruth to find a great leader for the People Operations team," Naughton said in a statement that Google provided to Business Insider.

Naughton, who has been with the company since 2006 and headed human resources for the past four years, led the company's charge into becoming a massive operation. She spearheaded the recruitment of 70,000 new employees and doubled Google's employee headcount.

But Naughton was also in charge of a workforce that grew increasingly angry with the company's management, over its alleged handling of sexual harassment claims, elimination of town hall meetings, and tightening oversight of employees.

In November 2019, Google fired four employees for allegedly sharing internal information. The employees in question hit back, and filed charges of unfair labor practices.

In her statement, Naughton said that she was still in the process of stepping down, and said that no replacement had yet been found.

A statement from Google also confirmed that Naughton would be staying on with the company, although her future role remained undetermined.

"Over the past 13 years, Eileen has made major contributions to the company in numerous areas, from media partnerships, to leading our sales and operations in the UK and Ireland, to leading our People Operations team through a period of significant growth — during which over 70,000 people started their careers at Google," a statement from Google CEO Sundar Pichai said. "We're grateful to Eileen for all she's done and look forward to her next chapter at Google."

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