A former Uber engineer claims that she was sexually harassed, discriminated against based on her sex and race, and subject to retaliation while working for the company. Many aspects of her complaint are similar to allegations made last year by another Uber engineer. The two women both worked in the same department, under the direction of the same upper managers.
Allegations of Discrimination, Harassment, and Retaliation
The plaintiff in the recent case claims that her work environment at Uber was intolerable and that she was repeatedly subject to sexual harassment by her male co-workers. Although she reported the instances to her managers, she claims that little was done to stop the inappropriate behavior. Instead, she says that she was retaliated against by not being promoted as quickly as, and being paid less than, her white, male counterparts.
The woman was hospitalized for three weeks due to anxiety over the alleged retaliation. She says she not only reported her own personal encounters with sexual harassment to management, but that she also backed-up the claims made by her co-worker to their superiors, including the executive assistant to the former Uber Chief Technology Officer. After being told that the executive would address the situation with human resources, the woman claims that little disciplinary action was taken and that she was retaliated against by not being promoted and receiving minimal salary increases.
The plaintiff described Uber’s company culture as male-dominated with sexual harassing conduct toward women being condoned by company leaders. In her lawsuit, the former Uber engineer described several inappropriate instances, including one in which Uber threatened to rescind its job offers to her and other women who were attempting to negotiate for equal compensation to their male coworkers. Other instances include being inappropriately touched by a male senior software engineer at a company retreat and seeing YouTube videos of topless women posted on an internal chatroom.
Changing the Company Culture
Both former Uber engineers complained that Uber’s male-dominated work culture was sanctioned by managers who allowed the alleged harassers to remain at the company and even helped to advance their careers. Previous claims made by the first engineer sparked investigations that led to the firing of 20 employees; it remains to be seen how Uber will respond to this most recent complaint.
Uber’s new CEO says that the company is trying to fix the toxic work environment that the women in these two cases described. She notes that in the past year, Uber has implemented a new salary and equity structure and changed its performance review process. The company has also published Diversity and Inclusion reports and delivered diversity and leadership training to thousands of its employees.
Cherry Hill Sexual Harassment Lawyers at McOmber McOmber & Luber, P.C. Provide Experienced Representation on Sexual Harassment Matters
Sexual harassment in the workplace is unlawful. Employees who have been subject to harassment, a hostile work environment, or retaliation should contact a Cherry Hill sexual harassment lawyer at McOmber McOmber & Luber, P.C.. Our knowledgeable and experienced attorneys can also help employers seeking to prevent, investigate, or defend sexual harassment claims.
Call our Red Bank office at 732-842-6500, our Marlton office at 856-985-9800, our Newark office at 973-878-9040, or contact us at 888-396-0736 or online for a free consultation. We represent clients throughout New Jersey.