We live in a world where all our actions come attached with some sort of consequences. These consequences can appear anywhere throughout the spectrum, and consequentially, they are free to make an impact on any person around us. Now, such a setup might look harmless from afar, but the truth is that it does have its own serious drawbacks. You see, if we dig through the human history for a second, we’ll notice how our actions haven’t always done justice to our moral compass. In fact, time and time again, humans have proven themselves to be dangerously self-centred. Hence, when you allow some inconsiderate individuals to leave a long-lasting impact on their surroundings, things can become messy really quick. In an attempt to curb this risk, however, the world would set-up dedicated regulatory bodies across the board. While doing so was nothing less than a masterstroke, it didn’t entirely go according to the plan. With forces like technology taking over the landscape, establishing clear-cut governance suddenly became one hugely complex task. Such a dynamic allowed Big Tech companies an unscrupulous advantage over regulators and the wider public. Nevertheless, as government watchdogs get more and more tech savvy, the prospects for the said companies no longer seem so promising, and this was validated big time during Apple’s recent shareholders’ meeting.
Apple shareholders have officially approved a proposal, which will see the company’s board conducting a third-party audit of its policies in regards to civil rights. Even though Apple opposed the decision, the meeting saw shareholders express a collective belief that the company can improve on how it handles issues like gender pay equity, leadership diversity, and privacy related concerns. Notably enough, the call to conduct an audit comes after a tough period for Apple where it had to go up against challenges posed by a pay equity study, which questioned the company’s racial pay equity policy. Apart from it, the study fixated upon how Hispanic and Black people make up for only a small section of Apple’s leadership brass.
Moving beyond the racial standpoint, the shareholders have also asked Apple to create a public report about its use of concealment clauses in employees’ contracts. As per the available details, this report will mostly talk to all the harassment and discrimination-related situations.
To voice its displeasure, Apple has reiterated that the company already meets these established objectives.
“Apple already fulfills the objectives of the proposal in several ways, including through impact and risk assessments, active governance and Board oversight, engagement with our communities and key stakeholders, and regular, transparent public reporting,” Apple stated.
Despite Apple’s reassurances, the estimated 54% support for the proposal should push it through just as planned.
