Google employees deterred from reporting discrimination, US official says

Google denies claim as US official describes 'chilling effect', saying employees have expressed fear company's strict policy prevents them from speaking out

The US Department of Labor has raised concerns that Google's strict confidentiality agreements have discouraged employees from speaking to the government about discrimination as part of a high-profile wage inequality investigation.

Following a judge's ruling that Google must hand over salary records and employee contact information to federal regulators investigating possible systemic pay disparities, a labor department official said the agency was worried that the technology corporation's restrictive employee communication policies could impede the next phase of the inquiry.