The policies are said to violate California laws because restrict employees’ right to speak, work or whistle-blow, and include restrictions on speaking to the government, attorneys or the press about wrongdoing at Google or even “speaking to spouse or friends about whether they think their boss could do a better job.” Under a program called Stopleaks, Google asks employees to report on “strange things” around them such as anyone asking detailed questions about an employee’s project or job. The employee has filed anonymously as John Doe. The company was quoted by some news outlets as saying in a statement that its “employee confidentiality requirements are designed to protect proprietary business information, while not preventing employees from disclosing information about terms and conditions of employment, or workplace concerns.” The suit follows a complaint filed earlier this year with the National Labor Relations Board that raised similar issues.
