Apple fires manager who complained about workplace harassment, safety

Company tells Ashley Gjovik her employment was terminated for violating policies including the disclosure of confidential information

Apple Inc. employee Ashley Gjovik, who filed a complaint with the U.S. National Labor Relations Board last month, said she was fired for allegedly leaking information.

Apple informed Gjovik that it’s terminating her employment for violating policies including the disclosure of confidential product-related information, according to documents that she supplied to Bloomberg News. 

Gjovik, a senior engineering program manager at the company, filed an Aug. 26 NLRB complaint, which alleged harassment by a manager, a retaliatory investigation and forced paid administrative leave. Her situation began when she voiced fears about whether pollution had made her office a dangerous place to work.

“I should be able to raise concerns about safety and public policy,” she said in an interview earlier this month. Gjovik also has filed complaints with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, California’s labor commissioner’s office and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, according to documents she provided.

Apple said Thursday that it wouldn’t discuss any individual employee matters, out of respect for the privacy of the people involved.

“We are and have always been deeply committed to creating and maintaining a positive and inclusive workplace,” the company said. “We take all concerns seriously and we thoroughly investigate whenever a concern is raised.”