Update on Julie Horvath's Departure — from Github (github.com)
over 9 years ago from Anthony Dines, Senior Interaction Designer @ Google
over 9 years ago from Anthony Dines, Senior Interaction Designer @ Google
It's sad and pretty damning to Github that it had to come to a senior member of staff resigning and going public about it before anything was done.
This tweet by Horvath is relevant:
I'm glad it's being addressed now, but don't congratulate and praise an org that knew and refused to act for over a year.
This. It's really strange to me how many people are just like "Great job Github, you're handling this so well!" When in reality it's because they haven't been handling it well for over a year that we're all hearing about it now.
Couldn't agree more. People are rushing to pat GitHub on the back for this update, but it's been a long time coming. I really do hope this means substantial change for them.
Wow, banning the wife. That conversation couldn't have been fun.
It seems to me that the entire situation was caused by poorly managed HR, not just a few "sexist" employees. While sexism played an early role in the situation, Julie's synopsis left me with the impression that the co-founder's overbearing wife was the main source of the problems.
I just wish these issues could have been settled privately instead of publicly. It sucks for everyone when it comes to this. :(
The wife may have been the source of the problem, but the organization's inability to recognize and deal with that problem is one of the core issues.
Exactly my thoughts.
yup, great work. Shame it escalated to this. I wonder why legal wasn't involved earlier.
Honestly it sounds like a case of abuse, its hard to reach outside that bubble, especially when you isolate yourself thinking that there are spies etc in the company. I've seen this tactic used by Human traffickers and people who exploit people. The idea of making someone think that even the law is against you. It is a shame she was bullied and hurt so badly. I honestly hope that somehow she can get further help beyond just a new job. Actual counselling and help in regards to the situations she was in. She will probably have problems with any situations that are similar in the future.
Great response.
At least their PR staff isn't fumbling and tripping over themselves like their HR department.
They deserve every penny. :wink: :wink:
They had me at:
GitHub has grown incredibly fast over the past two years,
The first step in solving an issue is acknowledging it, and that bit encapsulates all of it.
Great response, and the fact that he ends with what sounds like a sincere apology is just icing on the cake.
Sounds about as fair and decisive a public response a company could make in the light of such serious accusations while they investigate.
Very well balanced response. Glad to see them taking some form of action, at least.
Its strange that there's been hardly a whimper on this dispute here.
In this case, good HR would've trumped any 'response' the PR team could've released.
While it's upsetting this kinda stuff happens, there are tons of details missing, hopefully some light will be shed from both parties.
Is it strange that it took them over a year to find a competent HR lead? That seems like a long time for finding a single hire.
I can't speak for Github, but a few shops I've been at in my career have taken that long (or even longer) to find a good fit. With that role, it's increasingly less about hiring the classic HR position than it is about finding a candidate that fits the companies culture. Seems to always be a difficult thing to find, especially as companies get further and further away from typical corporate cultures.
I was hoping for a response like this. It sounded strange to me at first, thanks for shedding some light on that.
Unfortunately, it sounds like they had a pretty toxic culture over there. Maybe finding HR that fits that mold isn't the best idea for some companies.
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