Uber has released a new report that recommended a series of value changes, among other big news today. The report, which name-checks former employee Susan Fowler for her revealing Feburary 19, 2017, blog post detailing “harassment, discrimination, and retaliation” and Uber’s subsequently failure to address bad actors within the company, seeks to meaningfully change the culture. An additional investigation led by a separate firm has already resulted in the firing of 20 employees. Here’s the list of the top new changes at Uber, most of which can be seen in the full 13-page report.
CEO Travis Kalanick Is Taking a Leave of Absence
Kalanick’s mother passed away unexpectedly last month, so his temporary departure is not entirely due to the new press. The timeline for his absence is unspecified, and his leadership team is expected to run the company while he’s away. In the meantime, the report recommends, the board should reevaluate Kalanick’s duties at the company:
Uber Will Look for an Inclusive COO
From the report: The diminished CEO role will make this position very appealing.
And May Start a “Diversity Advisory Board”
A “Diversity Advisory board” is needed, according to Liane Hornsey, Chief HR Officer, at the Uber board meeting held today.
They’ll Cut Down on Alcohol in the Office
So much for one indictator of a startup culture, as Bloomberg explains:
But Aren’t Naming Names
While Uber board member Arianna Huffington may have indicated that they planned to expose bad actors through internal investigations, this particular report does not. Instead, it merely offers recommendations for how to move forward. Here’s what former Uber software engineer Susan Fowler, who started the whole process with her well-documented expose post, had to say about today’s news: Fowler indicated that she believes Uber is pivoting towards the more poorly defined area of diversity and inclusion in order to duck the charges it deserves, saying “Remember that this is not about diversity and inclusion, it’s about laws being broken. Harassment, discrimination, retaliation are illegal.”
They’ll Create an Oversight Committee
From the report: The terms here are vague, and a committee such as this one may be unsustainable, some fear.
Uber Turned the “War Room” Into the “Peace Room”
From Bloomberg: Hey, they can’t all be sweeping changes.
