Google bans terms for British employees such as 'hey guys' and 'man hours': report
Other banned terms include 'black box,' 'black hole' and 'white list'
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Google employees in the U.K. are banned from using popular phrases such as "hey guys" and "man hours," a report revealed.
Developers at the tech-giant were sent a style guide that directed employees to use the term "person hours," according to 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 said to be justified in the guide by a need for gender-neutral language.
"When referring to a group of people, use non-gendered language such as everyone or folks," the memo reportedly stated.
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Google employees in the U.K. are banned from using popular phrases such as "hey guys" and "man hours." (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File / AP Newsroom)
Google, in a statement to Fox News Digital, claimed the memo is a mere suggestion, not outright ban.
This is not us banning words in the workplace," a spokesperson said. "These recommendations are not new, they're from years ago and are part of an industry-wide move to introduce more inclusive language into coding languages. The guidance assists software developers in making code consistent with industry norms and removes old language that had crept into software code like master-salve, and phrases that exclude women."
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The Google logo is displayed at their offices on Nov. 1, 2018, in Granary Square, in London. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant / AP Newsroom)
One Google employee suggested the style guide was crazy and could kill production.
"We’re much too busy to be worried about whether some totally harmless phrase that’s been used for years might upset someone, somewhere," the employee told The Sun.
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Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google Inc. speaks during an event in New Delhi on December 19, 2022. (Photo by SAJJAD HUSSAIN/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)
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