Uber Report: Eric Holder’s Recommendations for Change
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Version 0 of 1. Here are the main recommendations for improving Uber’s workplace culture as laid out in a report after an inquiry by Eric H. Holder Jr., the former attorney general, and his law firm, Covington & Burling. The report urged that the responsibilities of Uber’s chief executive, Travis Kalanick, be reallocated: Mr. Kalanick, who announced a leave of absence as the report was disclosed, has been under fire for his flouting of rules and norms, including transportation and safety regulations. The report called for the company to use performance reviews to hold executives accountable and to increase the powers of the company’s head of diversity: Recommendations included the addition of more independent board members, an independent chair of the board, an oversight committee, and using compensation to hold senior executives accountable: The report called for Uber, which has been heavily criticized for a management culture that is slow to respond to employee complaints, to make sure it had good tools in place to track employee data, including complaints: Recommendations also included mandatory leadership training for executives, human resources training and manager training. In particular, the report called for a “a robust and effective complaint process.” Responding to criticism of a generally toxic environment at Uber, the report urged the rewriting of the company’s written cultural values to “reflect more inclusive and positive behaviors.” Recommendations included targeting diverse sources of talent through “alternative and non-traditional sources of recruiting,” and developing deeper partnerships with “historically black colleges and universities and Hispanic-Serving Institutions,” as well as the use of blind-résumé reviews, in which any indication of gender or ethnic background is omitted during a job candidate review. The report also called for the company to adopt a version of the so-called Rooney Rule, the National Football League policy that requires teams to interview members of minority groups for coaching and senior administrative jobs. The report emphasized that “policies should be applied consistently throughout the organization.” Responding to reports of unrestrained alcohol use at Uber, clear guidelines on the usage of alcohol and controlled substances were also among the recommendations: Uber was also urged to prohibit romantic relationships among employees in cases where one party reports directly to the other party. The company was also urged to “take steps to eliminate bias and misuse of the performance review process,” and to make promotion requirements clearer. The report urged Uber to “engage a consultant or undertake internal surveys to identify and address attrition that is higher than expected, across the company or within specific organizations.” Recommendations included a comprehensive review of the company’s pay practices: |