Uber CHRO Resigns Following Whistle-blower Complaints
Company's diversity efforts are at crossroads following CHRO departure
Uber's chief human resource officer, who had overseen a range of steps to improve diversity at the organization, stepped down on July 10, and the reason why is still unclear.
Liane Hornsey wrote in an e-mail to her team, "I know this comes a little out of the blue for some of you, but I have been thinking about this for a while," Bloomberg reports. Some media outlets have speculated that whistle-blower complaints prompted her departure, while others report that it was simply a difference in management styles between her and CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, who was hired after Hornsey had joined the company.
We've rounded up the latest SHRM Online resources and news articles from other trusted media outlets on Hornsey's departure:
Departure Follows Whistle-Blower Allegations
Hornsey's departure followed a group of Uber whistle-blowers accusing her of dismissing internal allegations of racial discrimination, according to a person who read an e-mail to Uber's chief legal officer. Uber hired an outside firm to investigate, and Uber's chief legal officer then told the anonymous complainants that he didn't intend to disclose the firm's findings. "Serious allegations alone, even when they turn out to be unsubstantiated, can damage a person's career and reputation, implicating important due process, privacy and moral concerns," the chief legal officer wrote. Uber declined to comment to SHRM on Hornsey's resignation.
Pay Equity Was a Priority for Hornsey
In addition to helping the company address issues raised by last year's well-publicized complaint about harassment, pay equity was a priority for Hornsey. "Very few executives want to go to this place in any company. There's always resistance," she has said. After 200 listening sessions following the initial crisis, she took steps to ensure pay parity for all workers, regardless of race or sex.
(Wired)
Harassment Allegations Addressed
Following former company engineer Susan Fowler's Feb. 19, 2017, blog post alleging she was the victim of sexual harassment, gender bias and retaliation at Uber, the company ordered an investigation into the issues she raised, as well as diversity and inclusion at Uber more broadly. A separate investigation resulted in the firing of 20 employees, some of them senior executives, around allegations of misconduct that ranged from unprofessional behavior to sexual harassment.
Four Steps to Inclusion and Diversity
Uber's global head of diversity and inclusion, Bernard Coleman, also responded. In an article written exclusively for SHRM Online, Coleman explained his focus on four key steps to improve diversity: empower individuals with supportive tools and be allies so they can model inclusion; create systems that decrease bias and improve fairness and equitable treatment for all employees; ensure all leaders understand why inclusion and diversity matter and amplify the message throughout the organization; and make a difference in society and plant seeds to positively impact others as corporate citizens.
[SHRM members-only how-to guide: How to Develop a Diversity and Inclusion Initiative]
Diversity Effort a Work in Progress
The percentage of underrepresented groups working in technology at Uber has increased slightly since 2017, according to the company's second annual diversity report, released this past spring. "We have made meaningful progress over the last year, but we still have a lot of work to do to increase representation of women and underrepresented groups," Hornsey wrote in the report, which showed an increase in the percentage of women holding tech jobs at Uber—17.9 percent in 2018 compared to 15.4 percent in 2017. The percentage of blacks and Hispanic or Latino employees in tech jobs at the company also saw slight increases.
Challenges Ahead
Diversity efforts at the company still aren't where they need to be, some say. Groups representing black and Hispanic employees reportedly sent Khosrowshahi a letter recently about difficulties that minorities at the company have experienced in the past year in their efforts to earn promotions and raises. In addition, some employees are asking the company to answer how workers can expect greater diversity and inclusion when the company hasn't added women to Uber's executive leadership in over a year.
EEOC Investigation
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) reportedly is investigating a complaint about gender inequity at Uber. Investigators have been looking into hiring practices, pay disparity and other matters related to gender. The probe began last August but hasn't been reported until now.
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