Google employees within the UK are banned from using popular phrases comparable to “hey guys” and “man hours,” a report revealed.
Developers on the tech-giant, helmed by Sundar Pichai, were sent a mode guide that directed employees to make use of the term “person hours,” in line with The Sun.
Other banned phrases deemed insensitive include “black box,” “black hole,” “white list,” “chubby,” “kill,” “crazy,” “bonkers” and “mad.”
The ban on “you guys” is alleged to be justified within the guide by a necessity for gender-neutral language.
“When referring to a gaggle of individuals, use non-gendered language comparable to everyone or folks,” the memo reportedly stated.
One Google worker suggested the style guide was crazy and will kill production.
“We’re much too busy to be nervous about whether some totally harmless phrase that’s been used for years might upset someone, somewhere,” the worker told The Sun.
Google didn’t respond to a request for comment on whether these terms apply to their US employees.
Google faced criticism last yr after it was revealed by the Washington Free Beacon it runs a scholarship program that capped the variety of white and Asian beneficiaries.
