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Uber staffers gathered today to hear the results of an investigation into its troubled culture and management structure. As part of the investigation, law firm Covington & Burling laid out a series of recommendations for how to rectify what many describe as a toxic work environment.
Following the meeting, Uber’s chief human resources officer Liane Hornsey sent a company-wide email outlining in some detail how the leadership plans to implement these recommendations.
That includes creating a Chief Diversity Officer position, which could be filled by the current head of diversity, Bernard Coleman. The company is also considering hiring someone else for the role.
Uber will also change its performance review for management, creating metrics that gauge how much leaders contribute to a diverse and inclusive workplace.
The company will also change its so-called 14 values, one of which includes “always be hustling,” as the New York Times previously reported. Specifically, the company will curb the more combative company directives such as “toe-stepping” and “principled confrontation.”
Hornsey wrote:
Our values define who we are, and how we work ... and some need to change. They must better represent who we aspire to be, and address some of the challenges we’ve seen. Our values must be inclusive and focus on teamwork, collaboration and joy at work, and remove aggressive individual behaviors such as ‘toe-stepping’ and ‘principled confrontation’. Over the next month we will work with you to revise the values. Again, it is my intention to be open, transparent and involving just as we have been with all systemic changes over the last few months
The original investigation was prompted by former Uber engineer Susan Fowler’s first-hand account of sexual harassment and sexism at the company. While Uber has addressed the sweeping changes it plans to make — both internally and publicly — it’s not clear if those involved in Fowler’s claims have been terminated or reprimanded in any way.
As for changes it has made, the company said it began rolling out a new coaching system for managers in the U.S. and Canada at the end of May and expects to expand that over the next year or so if it goes well.
“Created with input from Ops leaders, this process focuses on helping managers leverage coaching techniques in real time to support their direct reports’ growth and career success,” she wrote.
Uber has also added four senior members to its human resources team — a department that has until now been understaffed — including a vice president of human resources that starts on June 21.
The company also plans to keep the anonymous tip line — called the Integrity Hotline — that it created in the aftermath of a Fowler’s allegations. Hornsey also wrote that they would be expanding their employee relations team, which reports directly to her.
“I want to be super clear, we are building a process that gives employees the ability to report issues, manage issues, and escalate concerns appropriately, and with confidence in the process,” she wrote. “You have my absolute commitment on this. We will not fail you again. We will also add resources to include: consistent PIP templates, templates for reporting misconduct, and termination guidelines for managers, which we’re developing now.”
Here’s the full email:
Uber CHRO email to staff. by Johana Bhuiyan on Scribd
This article originally appeared on Recode.net.
