Employees sued Apple for allegedly monitoring workers’ personal devices and restricting them from talking about pay and working conditions, according to a Dec. 2 complaint filed in California.
In the complaint, a digital advertising tech and operations manager for Apple said the company invades employee privacy by requiring them to install software on personal devices that are also used for work, which opens access to personal email, photos, health data and other private information.
In addition, the plaintiff alleged Apple’s intellectual property agreement, which is signed as a condition of employment, bars employees from discussing information such as pay and working conditions. Other policies appear to restrict disclosure of benefits, employment status and work performance, the complaint said.
“All California employees have the right to speak about their wages and working conditions,” Jahan Sagafi, a partner at Outten & Golden LLP, the firm representing the plaintiff, said in a statement. “Your voice is one of the most important tools you have to fight back against pay discrimination and other corporate wrongdoing.”
Apple didn’t respond to a request for comment by HR Dive. In a statement to Reuters, an Apple spokesperson said the lawsuit claims lack merit and that workers receive training annually on their rights to discuss working conditions.
“At Apple, we’re focused on creating the best products and services in the world, and we work to protect the inventions our teams create for customers,” the spokesperson said.
Outten & Golden attorneys also represent two women who filed a lawsuit against Apple in June, who alleged the company systematically underpaid women in its engineering, marketing and AppleCare divisions.
In addition, Apple is facing three complaints from a U.S. labor board, which claims the company has deterred workers from discussing issues such as sex bias and pay discrimination. Apple has refuted these claims and emphasized a commitment to inclusion and pay equity, Reuters reported.
In general, employee surveillance through tracking technology may hinder productivity and prompt workers to leave, according to a survey by 15Five. Managers may be driven to employee monitoring due to distrust, fear and a lack of visibility into their employees’ work, the company said — and that fear may be in turn driven by a lack of clarity provided by upper management over expectations.
Notably, California — where these lawsuits are filed — may be leading the way in employee rights, with several new changes coming in 2025 related to wages, sick leave and captive audience meetings. Local governments may also take charge of enforcing certain nondiscrimination laws, especially since the state’s civil rights department can’t keep up with the high number of complaints, attorneys said.