Former AG Holder Completes Uber Review; Will It Be Public?
After former engineer Susan Fowler published a blog post detailing numerous instances of sexual discrimination and harassment during her time at Uber, the company knew it had to get the investigation and response right. So it turned to the man who was once America's former top prosecutor, former U.S. attorney general Eric Holder and Tammy Albarran, his partner at the Covington & Burling law firm.
Axios is reporting that Holder has completed his investigation and the results could be presented to Uber's top brass sometime this week. So what did Holder find? And will his findings be made public?
You Gotta Know When to Holder 'Em...
Fowler's bombshell blog post was published on February 19, and Uber brought in Holder just two days later. Since then, according to Fast Company, Holder's team has been gathering data and input from "hundreds of employees" to create an accurate profile of Uber's workplace culture. While the investigation was supposed to be wrapped up at the end of April, it was extended to the end of May to allow Holder to complete interviews with several key figures in the company, including top human resources executives.
Along with tales of specific harassment, including her manager propositioning her for sex on her first day, Fowler detailed numerous other instances of harassment and discrimination against other female employees, all of which were reported to HR personnel, and none of which were adequately investigated or acted upon. Holder was hired not only to look into Fowler's specific claims but to analyze Uber's corporate culture as a whole.
...And Know When to Fold 'Em
According to Axios, Uber scheduled an all-hands meeting June 6 to discuss Holder's findings with employees, but the full report probably won't be released publicly or to employees. Most likely the complete details of the report will only be shared with Uber's board of directors, including Arianna Huffington, Bill Gurley, and David Bonderman.
And even the June 6 date may get pushed back. Tragically, Uber CEO Travis Kalanick's mother was killed in a boating accident over the weekend that also injured his father. Whether the meeting to discuss Holder's report will be pushed back to accommodate a grieving Kalanick remains to be seen, as will the exact details of his report.
Related Resources:
- Find Employment Lawyers Near You (FindLaw's Lawyer Directory)
- Uber Demonstrates How Not to Respond to Sexual Harassment Claims (FindLaw's Free Enterprise)
- Uber's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad 2 Weeks (FindLaw's Free Enterprise)
- Uber Owes $45M in Back Pay to NYC Drivers (FindLaw's Free Enterprise)