Apple put senior manager on indefinite leave after she complained about sexism

Gjøvik raised concerns about sexism, a hostile environment and "tone-policing"

Apple has reportedly placed a senior engineering programme manager on indefinite administrative leave after she complained about unsafe working conditions and sexism at work on Twitter.

The company is conducting an investigation into claims made by Ashley Gjøvik regarding a hostile environment at work.

In an interview with The Verge, Gjøvik said she had spent several months speaking with her employer about years of experiences with unsafe working conditions, sexual harassment, and retaliation in the workplace.

She urged Apple to take immediate steps to mitigate the hostile work environment while company officials investigate her complaints.

Apple initially offered Gjøvik EAP therapy and medical leave, which she was not satisfied with.

"I told them that made no sense, and said they should talk to my leadership and set up oversight and boundaries."

She said the employee relations team closed the investigation, claiming that nothing was wrong.

Gjøvik began to raise her issues in Apple's internal Slack. She was then asked to stop using the Slack channels for such complaints.

She was also asked not to meet with other female employees at the office to discuss the company's policies.

Gjøvik says she was put on "indefinite paid administrative leave" on 4th August, while the company conducts a new investigation. This is the second time that Apple has investigated Gjøvik's claims about sex discrimination at the company.

In a statement to Engadget, an Apple spokesperson said the company has been "deeply committed to creating and maintaining a positive and inclusive workplace."

"We take all concerns seriously and we thoroughly investigate whenever a concern is raised and, out of respect for the privacy of any individuals involved, we do not discuss specific employee matters," the spokesperson added.

Apple has seen an uptick in recent employee activism, for a variety of reasons.

In May, the company fired Antonio García Martínez after many employees wrote a letter to management, complaining about sexist and misogynistic comments the engineer wrote in a book about Silicon Valley.

In June, a group of workers sent an internal letter to CEO Tim Cook, expressing their reservations over the requirement that employees return to the office for work in September.

They said they would prefer a more flexible policy, which would allow employees to work remotely if they feel comfortable working doing so.

The letter's signatories also complained that they have "often felt not just unheard, but at times actively ignored" over the last year.