A senior Google employee has told a UK employment tribunal that she was made redundant after reporting sexual harassment by a manager, raising serious questions about whistleblower protection and workplace culture at the tech giant. Google denies any retaliation, asserting that her redundancy was part of a broader business restructuring.
Victoria Woodall, a senior industry head in Google’s UK Sales and Agencies team, first raised concerns in August 2022 after a female client reported that a manager had boasted about his swinger lifestyle and made inappropriate sexual comments during a business lunch. According to evidence presented to the London Central Employment Tribunal, Woodall reported this to her line manager, prompting an internal investigation by Google.
The investigation, which interviewed 12 people, found the manager had sexually harassed two female colleagues by touching them without consent and making lewd remarks. Google concluded the behavior amounted to sexual harassment and dismissed the manager for gross misconduct in 2022. His line manager and another senior colleague were also disciplined for failing to intervene and were later made redundant.
Woodall claims that after whistleblowing, she faced a campaign of retaliation from her own management. She alleges she was forced to swap a successful client account for a struggling one, demoted to a subordinate role on a key project, and subjected to attempts to downgrade her performance ratings. She described these moves as a ‘poisoned chalice’ designed to weaken her position ahead of redundancy decisions.
In her tribunal claim, Woodall also highlighted a ‘boys’ club’ culture within Google UK, citing a men-only ‘chairman’s lunch’ that she said was company-funded until December 2022. Google disputes this, stating an internal review found no evidence of such a culture and that the event was discontinued as it no longer aligned with policies.
As Google underwent wider redundancies in 2023, Woodall escalated her concerns to senior leadership, including Debbie Weinstein, then vice-president of Google UK and Ireland. Internal messages submitted to the tribunal show Weinstein expressing shock and discussing how to ‘exit people’ during the restructuring. Woodall was formally made redundant in March 2024 but remains employed on long-term sickness payments due to work-related stress.
Google accepts that Woodall’s report constituted whistleblowing but denies all allegations of retaliation. The company argues her role was one of 26 eliminated across her team and department, with decisions driven by legitimate business needs. A judgment from the tribunal is expected in the coming weeks, with the case seen as a test for corporate accountability and whistleblower safeguards in large organizations.
