On Thursday, a Meta official informed staff that they are not allowed to discuss abortion on Workplace, the firm’s internal equivalent of Facebook, citing “an increased risk” of the company being perceived as a “hostile work environment.”
According to a section of Meta’s internal “Respectful Communication Policy” seen by The Verge, the policy prohibits employees from discussing “opinions or debates about abortion being right or wrong, availability or rights of abortion, and political, religious, and humanitarian views on the topic.” It was implemented in 2019 but hasn’t been reported until now.
In the wake of a leaked Supreme Court draught judgment that might overturn Roe v. Wade, several employees have called on management to repeal the policy, claiming that it conflicts with employees’ ability to speak “respectfully” about subjects like Black Lives Matter, immigration, and trans rights.
Janelle Gale, Meta’s VP of HR, claimed during an all-hands meeting with employees on Thursday that abortion was “the most controversial and reported topic” by employees on Workplace.
According to a video of her statements obtained by the source, she claimed that: “even if people are respectful, and they’re attempting to be respectful about their view on abortion, it can still leave people feeling like they’re being targeted based on their gender or religion,”
she further said: “It’s the one unique topic that kind of trips that line on a protected class pretty much in every instance.”
Most major corporations have yet to express a clear position on abortion restrictions, though a few have indicated their opposition.
Amazon and Tesla have said they will cover some expenses for pregnant employees who need to travel for an abortion, and Salesforce said in September that it would help with moving costs if employees wanted to leave Texas because of the state’s abortion ban.
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