Uber Paper

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Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University *

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317

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Management

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Jan 9, 2024

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docx

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6

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1 5.3 Case Study – Harassment at Uber 5.3 Case Study – Harassment at Uber Analeece Julien ERAU OBLD 317 Dr Nelson November 14, 2023
2 5.3 Case Study – Harassment at Uber 5.3 Case Study – Harassment at Uber In early 2017, Susan Fowler valued public knowledge over her public reputation when she posted a very raw account of her experience working at Uber. To summarize her tenure, Fowler was victim of sexual harassment from a manager and was scrutinized by the human resources department and upper management when she reported the incident. Failing to provide reasonable punishment to the offending manager, and further dismissing her allegations of sexual misconduct, Susan would resign her position in late 2016, not before learning of numerous additional allegations against that same manager. Her personal account, which was published on her blog in February 2017, recounts a plethora of unethical and immoral incidents endured by herself and other female colleagues. The aftermath of Susan’s allegations resulted in internal restructuring, and emphasized the importance of human resource policies and procedures. Susan’s primary complaint was regarding the sexual harassment incident, however her experience provoked multiple events that emphasized sore spots in Uber’s HR standards and procedures, management structure, and other various internal policies. In the wake of her blog post, Uber’s CEO resigned his position after facing backlash that he fostered a culture that included discrimination and sexual harassment, amongst other internal issues. Additionally, Uber’s workforce took a hit after the company let go of more than 20 employees in an effort to embark on “ major changes to professionalize its workplace” (Isaac, 2017). Changes in leadership and making adjustments internally were minor issues Uber faced due to the harassment. Uber faced legal battles from numerous employees, and was found guilty to the tune of over $4 million paid to Fowler (Ivanova, 2019). Especially once made public,
3 5.3 Case Study – Harassment at Uber harassment of any kind greatly impacts an organization. The decrease in company productivity due to harassment leads to bad morale, reduced performance, and higher turnover, resulting in increased hiring and training costs” (Impactly, n.d.). Sexual harassment in the workplace directly violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (EEOC, 2019). Enacted in 1964, Title VII recognizes sexual harassment as a form of sex discrimination, and prohibits sexual advances, favors, and other conduct of sexual nature for companies consisting of 15 or more employees. Title VII is responsible for the created of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which ensures enforcement of Title VII. Provisions provided in Title VII include discrimination protection, sexual harassment protection, and retaliation protection. Uber's failure to uphold accountability serves as a prime illustration of the consequences that may arise from insufficient training. It’s the employers responsibility to ensure all employees, especially managers, are provided with “training…on how to avoid sexual harassment and what steps to take if a complaint needs to be made” (Palmer, 2017). Failure to provide annual trainings or check-ins can result in a lack of employee engagement and practice in preventing harassment. Additionally, providing policies that prohibit retaliation could have greatly reduced the loss experienced by Uber. This also implies the implementation of these policies by the most high up employees. Alex Miller of Kantola Training Solutions suggests “harassing conduct will go unreported and fester” if there is a perception of toleration (Miller, 2022).
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