Enlarge image
Ban on speaking on certain topics in the office: »The right thing for long-term health«?
Photo: DADO RUVIC / REUTERS
At the Facebook parent company Meta, office calls could become cramped in the future because certain topics are taboo.
Meta employees should no longer engage in discussions on controversial political issues such as abortion, gun control or the effectiveness of vaccines while at work.
This was initially reported by the US magazine "Fortune", citing an internal instruction from Meta HR Manager Lori Goler.
A meta spokeswoman confirmed the new regulation according to the specialist blog »TechCrunch«.
In an internal forum, Goler wrote to all employees that the company is introducing new rules that dictate what is considered appropriate discussion in the workplace.
"As Mark (editor's note: referring to company founder Mark Zuckerberg) recently mentioned, we need to make a number of cultural shifts that will help us deliver on our priorities," Goler wrote.
The disadvantage of this is that you will no longer allow any kind of expression of opinion in the workplace.
"We believe this is the right thing for the long-term health of our internal community."
In the future, statements will only be made on topics that are important for business
Meta is under pressure from several quarters.
The leadership is repeatedly accused of favoring a certain political camp and of manipulating the Facebook news feed algorithms accordingly.
Republicans in the US House of Representatives accused Facebook of suppressing reports of possible misconduct by Hunter Biden, son of US President Joe Biden.
Goler now wrote that Meta will only make public statements on topics "that are of central importance to our business, that is, that are necessary for the provision of our service".
A Meta spokeswoman told Tech Crunch that the company places "a great emphasis on opinion, open discussion and a culture based on respect and inclusivity."
However, the rules have been updated "so that we can reduce distractions while maintaining an environment that is respectful and inclusive and in which employees can do their best work".
Meta-employees who need to discuss these controversial issues for their job are exempt from the guidelines.
The rules do not apply outside of the workplace either.
It is not yet clear what the consequences of this new regulation will be for Facebook in practice.
In any case, business hasn't been going well lately.
The company recently announced the largest job cuts in Facebook history.
The parent company Meta is separating from around 11,000 employees.
Meta has the problem that its core business with advertising in online services such as Facebook and Instagram generates less revenue than before.
At the same time, the development of virtual worlds promoted by founder and boss Mark Zuckerberg under the keyword Metaverse is eating up more and more money.
apr/mmq/dpa
