Brief: Uber fires over 20 people as it ratchets up internal harassment probe

Photo credit: Automobile Italia.

The news:

• Uber has dismissed more than 20 employees after an internal investigation into workplace harassment and misconduct.
• The ongoing probe, conducted by an outside law firm, reviewed 215 human resources claims that relate to discrimination, harassment, and retaliation, among other matters.
• Aside from the 20-plus dismissals, Uber has also put 31 employees into counseling or training as a result of the investigation, while 7 have received written warnings. A second probe led by a former US attorney general is expected to announce its findings next week.

Why it matters:

• Uber was put under the spotlight in February after former employee Susan Fowler made allegations in a blog post that she was sexually harassed while working with the company, and that her claim was mishandled by human resources and senior management teams.
• The news comes at a particularly turbulent time for Uber. In addition to a number of high-profile personnel departures, the company has attracted criticism for its treatment of its drivers and is embroiled in a trade secrets misappropriation dispute with Google’s Waymo.
• In an apparent effort to address some of these problems Uber announced the hiring earlier this week of Harvard Business School professor Frances Frei, a leading authority on organizational transformation, as its first SVP of leadership and strategy.

Source: Bloomberg.