Facebook to monitor and police employee discussions about social issues

Facebook is updating its internal communications policy to more tightly monitor and police employee discussions on social issues that could become intense or confrontational, saying it wants to ensure employees don’t have to take part in such conversations unless they directly seek them out.

“What we’ve heard from our employees is that they want the option to join debates on social and political issues rather than see them unexpectedly in their work feed,” said Pamela Austin, a company spokesperson. 

“We’re updating our employee policies and work tools to ensure our culture remains respectful and inclusive," Austin added. 

Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg announced the new policy at a meeting with staff Thursday. Facebook’s internal discussions have become more heated this year as the company reckons with its role in the increasing polarisation of political discourse, including recent debates about the Black Lives Matter movement and the Kenosha, Wisconsin, protests. 

Several workers have quit their jobs at the social network in public fashion, posting statements that cite their disagreement with management decisions on content policy and enforcement.

Most employees interact with colleagues on Workplace, a business version of Facebook. Facebook hasn’t finalised the new internal communications policy, or disclosed specifics on where these discussions will take place moving forward.