Uber has been getting some incredibly damaging press of late.
The company’s CEO Travis Kalanick was recently shown on video arguing with an Uber driver about general treatment of workers, and there have been claims of sexism deep within the organisation.
And there are some serious lessons on how to handle a business that every entrepreneur, manager, owner, or HR professional can take from Uber’s embarrassing moments in the spotlight. Let’s take a closer look at what everyone involved in business should be aware of - and how to ensure your company doesn’t fall into the same traps.
The importance of action
According to former Uber employee Susan Fowler, the company has serious issues with sexism and harassment. However, while many businesses will have elements of these problems, it’s how you deal with them that counts. Fowler reported several incidents of a male manager making advances on her, but was troubled to find that no one was taking them seriously, In fact, she was told that the manager in question was a high performer and that the incident was likely to be an ‘innocent mistake.’
Whether this is true or not is irrelevant. A robust investigation into matters such as sexism and harassment must be met with the appropriate action, and sending a flippant email making an employee feel they are just causing a problem is not the route to take. If there were an investigation, perhaps Susan Fowler would still be at Uber, and no one would be discussing this awful incident all over the business press.
Handle complaints in a professional manner
Another complaint raised by Fowler is that the company promised everyone a new leather jacket, but went on to decide that women would be excluded. The reasoning was that there weren’t enough women working in the company to justify placing an order, so they all had to go without. The resulting emails read as if they came from an HR trainee rather than from a professional business. According to Fowler, the HR department told her there was no problem, and stated that complaining to the office was unprofessional.
The trouble is, calling out people for making a sexism complaint is not only unprofessional, but it’s also illegal. As a business, you should be aware of all your responsibilities of hiring people, regardless of the size of your business.
Big companies must ensure that HR departments are staffed by the highest quality workers they can find. Smaller companies could benefit from outsourcing to third parties.
Business owners can click here to find out more about third-party HR services, or reach out to a local HR company in their community for more details on the benefits. Again, with the right team in place to handle the complaint in a professional - and legal - manner, come to light.
Big companies must ensure that HR departments are staffed by the highest quality workers they can find. Smaller companies could benefit from outsourcing to third parties.
Business owners can click here to find out more about third-party HR services, or reach out to a local HR company in their community for more details on the benefits. Again, with the right team in place to handle the complaint in a professional - and legal - manner, come to light.
Always be working
As a CEO of a company, you can’t afford to let your guard slip. Travis Kalanick’s actions and words to a driver requesting information about working conditions were at best foolish, at worst a complete and utter embarrassment to the company. Again, had he reacted in an appropriate manner, listened to his driver, and not blown a fuse, no one would be any the wiser. As it is, everyone is now acutely aware of the conditions suffered by Uber drivers, and many others in the ‘gig economy.’
The result? Fewer people using Uber cars, a damaging PR blunder, and the likelihood of new drivers being attracted to the business. All in all, that's a pretty poor day’s work, doing completely unnecessary damage to a company who is already under the spotlight for poor working conditions.
Ensure everyone is on board
Uber is having a lot of serious issues that don’t seem to be going away. The results could be catastrophic if they don’t sort themselves out soon. While a few mistakes can be forgotten - given the relative youthfulness of the company - consumers will soon start voting with their feet.
No matter how young your business is, HR and employment law issues need to be taken seriously. Make sure everyone - from CEO to cleaner - understands their rights and responsibilities, and provide a working environment that helps people thrive, not cower in fear of harassment, or feel their voice isn’t important.
No matter how young your business is, HR and employment law issues need to be taken seriously. Make sure everyone - from CEO to cleaner - understands their rights and responsibilities, and provide a working environment that helps people thrive, not cower in fear of harassment, or feel their voice isn’t important.
The tragic thing for Uber is that all of these issues could easily have been avoided. Some regular training sessions on sexism in the workplace will help, and a little humility from its leadership team will also be a welcome addition. That said, all businesses everywhere - regardless of size - can take a lot from Uber’s HR blunders, and use that information to ensure nothing similar occurs in their organisation.
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