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Sexual harassmentBullying and harassmentLatest NewsStaff monitoringSocial media

Google releases strict guidelines on employee communications

by Jo Faragher 28 Aug 2019
by Jo Faragher 28 Aug 2019 HAYOUNG JEON/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
HAYOUNG JEON/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Google has released new workplace guidelines urging staff not to insult one another or make misleading comments about the company.

The guidelines encourage staff to refrain from “disrupting the workday to have a raging debate over politics or the latest news story”. When communicating, they should follow the three Google values of “respect the user, respect the opportunity, respect each other”.

Employee communications

Turning up the heat on employees who tweet 

How to deal with an employee who has posted a negative comment about the organisation on a social networking site 

Last year the search technology giant faced controversy when employees staged a walkout over its treatment of women, having dismissed 48 staff for sexual harassment a few weeks before. A former employee also accused the company of firing him over his conservative political views.

Google has also indicated that it will hire a team dedicated to moderating employee discussions on internal employee forums. This team will be empowered to “take other actions as appropriate in response to significant or repeated policy violations”.

The guidelines add: “We’re all free to raise concerns and respectfully question and debate the company’s activities – that’s part of our culture. Be sure to speak with good information.

“Don’t assume you have the full story, and take care not to make false or misleading statements about Google’s products or business that could undermine trust in our products and the work that we do.”

Employees are urged not to enter discussions that “make other Googlers feel like they don’t belong or have no place here” and – in reference to previous high profile leaks – are reminded that their communications can be “rapidly and broadly disseminated”.

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In terms of consequences, Google said that employees that failed to adhere to the guidelines could expect certain discussion forums to be removed, commenting to be revoked, posting privileges taken away or appropriate disciplinary action.

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Jo Faragher

Jo Faragher has been an employment and business journalist for 20 years. She regularly contributes to Personnel Today and writes features for a number of national business and membership magazines. Jo is also the author of 'Good Work, Great Technology', published in 2022 by Clink Street Publishing, charting the relationship between effective workplace technology and productive and happy employees. She won the Willis Towers Watson HR journalist of the year award in 2015 and has been highly commended twice.

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