Tech firms drop arbitration of harassment complaints.

• Position: In the News...

In November, two of the tech industry's heaviest hitters said they would no longer require employees to use arbitration to resolve sexual harassment allegations.

Google announced its change Nov. 8, days after 20,000 employees worldwide walked out to protest the company's handling of harassment complaints and its use of mandatory arbitration.

Facebook followed suit the next day with its own pledge to stop requiring employees to arbitrate sexual harassment complaints.

In an email, Google CEO Sundar Pichai promised employees that arbitration of sexual harassment and assault claims would be optional, that harassment investigations would be more transparent and that Google would streamline processes for reporting harassment. He said training would be stepped up.

Facebook's changes are similar, with an added emphasis on requiring executives and managers to report...