15 women who work or have worked at Apple accuse the company of inaction after complaints about being harassed by their colleagues. The editors of the Financial Times reviewed employee correspondence with HR and made sure that the company’s human resources department did not really take any action in response to complaints.

One of the women told the broadcast her story. A male colleague, after a friendly meeting in a bar, took her to his house, fell asleep in the apartment and was woken up by the sound of a camera: it turned out that a man, taking off his shirt and bra, bought something. Photograph. The employee decided to notify management about this event only five years later when the MeToo movement became more active. He had no proof and did not demand to punish the offender, he simply asked that they not be transferred to the same unit. The HR employee said that while the man acted “reprehensible and potentially criminal”, he had not violated any company rules and therefore there was no reason to “deprive him of any job opportunity”.

Another girl complained about a co-worker who sent obscene messages during work hours and a manager who started bullying her after she took permission to be with her deceased father. The management did not help, only offered to sign a contract: a lump sum payment for “emotional stress”, on the condition that he waive his claims to the company.

Another girl, a consultant at the Apple store in New York, claims she was sexually assaulted twice on the team and even raped by a colleague who drove her home from work. According to the girl, the HR department only conducted a “superficial investigation” while asking her “many questions about sensitive topics”, but did nothing – they did not even allow her transfer to another store. The publication does not say whether he went to the police or not.

Some of the women in the Financial Times report say that they left the team as a result of the events described, because their relationship with the team deteriorated after they complained to the personnel department. In total, six out of 15 employees left the company. At the request of the publication, Apple representatives commented:

The company assures that it strives to “create an environment where employees can freely report any violations.”

– says one of the protagonists of the article, who left the company “due to bureaucracy, a culture of secrecy and a lack of career opportunities for women.”