Facebook’s parent company refuses to let its employees talk about abortion on the internal network. The decision calls out, while the United States is experiencing a great controversy around the return of the ban on abortion.
Employees of Meta, Facebook’s parent company, can’t talk about anything they want during their working hours. While the right to abortion could be called into question in the United States, discussions around abortion are prohibited on the company’s internal social network.
This was learned by The Verge, an American media specializing in tech. One of the executives of Meta would have announced to employees Thursday, May 19 that they were prohibited from talking about abortion on Workplace, the internal network. The ban would have been justified by the fact that discussions around abortion would represent a ” increased risk » that the company is perceived as having « a hostile work environment “.
Discussions on abortion are not authorized by the internal regulations.
This decision is not new. Meta implemented it in 2019, but the rule had never before been mentioned in the press. In detail, employees are prohibited from “ to discuss or debate whether or not abortion is acceptable, or political, religious or humanitarian views on the subject “, according to the internal rules of the company that The Verge was able to consult.
Meta employees reportedly tried to challenge this rule, after seeing that the right to abortion was under threat in the United States. A document, published by Politico in early May 2022, indicates that the Supreme Court intends to reverse one of these previous decisions, which protected the right to abortion at the federal level. If the measure passes, many states intend to completely ban abortions.
The announcement is of great concern inside the country, and within Facebook, employees would like to be able to discuss the subject. Employees already have the opportunity to discuss respectfully of certain sensitive subjects, such as immigration, the rights of the trans community, and anti-racist movements like Black Lives Matter. But the management is opposed to extending this authorization to abortion.
Abortion would be the most divisive topic addressed by employees on Workplace, and posts about it would be among the most “ reported “, according to Janelle Gale, the director of human resources of Meta. HRD reportedly said during a meeting with all Meta staff, held on Thursday, May 19, that ” even if people are respectful and try to be respectful about views on abortion, [ces discussions] can still make some employees uncomfortable and feel like they are being attacked for their gender or religion “, reports The Verge.
Facebook has not spoken on the subject.
Facebook employees therefore cannot talk about abortion on Workplace, but they are nevertheless authorized to talk about it at work in certain very regulated situations. Naomi Gleit, one of Meta’s vice-presidents, clarified a few days after Politico’s announcement the framework in which these discussions could take place. Employees can raise the topic of abortion during work hours with ” a trusted colleague in a private setting », or when « discussion groups, with a maximum of 5 people in agreement on the subject, in an act of solidarity “. Employees are, however, allowed to share their views publicly on social media.
Unlike other companies, which immediately after the Politico article appeared, announced plans to help their employees access abortions, even if they lived in states where abortion might be banned, Facebook has not spoken publicly on the subject. Naomi Gleit only clarified that the company ” would continue to provide its employees with access to reproductive health care, regardless of where they live “. A vague wording, which does not clearly say whether the costs for going to an abortion in another state could be covered.
Some companies have, after the Politico article appeared, announced their intention to help their employees access abortions, even if they live in states where abortion may be prohibited. Facebook has not yet spoken publicly on the subject.
Sheryl Sandberg, the company’s number 2, defended abortion on her Facebook page, explaining that abortion was a ” fundamental right but Meta remained silent. The decision not to allow discussions on the subject internally has also frustrated a good number of employees, according to The Verge. In a post on Workplace, which The Verge had access to, an employee explains feeling “ isolated because of this rule. ” This whole situation […] is dehumanizing, and dystopian. »