Google warns workers not to waste time debating politics

Googlers (as Google staff are commonly known) have been asked to focus on work rather than heated debates about politics with co-workers. Updated workplace guidelines remind Google employees to be responsible, helpful, and thoughtful when communicating via internal message boards or other conversation forums.

‘’While sharing information and ideas with colleagues helps build community, disrupting the workday to have a raging debate over politics or the latest news story does not,’’ state the new Google guidelines.

The crackdown from the tech behemoth, part of the Alphabet group, raised eyebrows as it has always been known for its open culture and freedom of speech among staff. ‘’We’re all free to raise concerns and respectfully question and debate the company’s activities – that’s part of our culture. 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,’’ the revised guidelines state.

Google employees have been vocal in recent years, challenging the company on issues including sexual harassment in the workplace and the potential for tailoring its online search engine for use on China’s heavily censored internet. Last November, Google employees in Singapore took part in the global #GoogleWalkout movement, in which they walked out of their offices to protest about its allegedly lenient treatment of executives accused of sexual misconduct.