Marie Kondo’s store sparks ridicule, Google’s weekly staff meetings are ending, and Macy’s falls short on data breach communications

Good morning, PR pros:

Google’s chief executive, Sundar Pichai, recently sent an email to employees that the company’s weekly town hall sessions, called “TGIF” meetings, “traditionally provided a place to come together, share progress and ask questions, but it’s not working in its current form.”

The Verge reported that starting in 2020, the meetings will happen monthly and only cover information about “product launches and business strategies.” Pichai noted that only 25% of employees watch the now-weekly meetings—one potential reason for the change—but there has also been a “coordinated effort to share our conversations outside of the company,” which “affected our ability to use TGIF as a forum for candid conversations on important topics.”

The change, which Wired called “Don’t Be Evil has changed to Don’t Ask Me Anything,” underlines the challenges that communicators face in balancing transparency and employee communications with policies and procedures that protect their organizations from crises and other risks.