Uber CEO Travis Kalanick announced he will be taking a leave of absence, on June 13, 2017.
This has been a tumultuous time for Uber. The company has faced allegations of misconduct, sexual harassment, and has lost executives. During this time, Kalanick has discovered his personal need for guidance in leadership.
Uber engineer Susan Fowler, posted a blog in February, stating on her first day, someone propositioned for sex. Despite other sexual harassment claims, according to Fowler, human resources would not act. The blog statement also alleged that she was held back in her job and not permitted advancement.
As of June 6, a total of 20 Uber employees were fired. Additionally, five were reprimanded with final warnings, and two staff members were offered more training.
A report on the culture of the Uber workplace environment was released. It includes macro-level recommendations for the company, after careful evaluation of the structure and culture. The complete list of has been published on the company website for the public to view.
The goals for the transportation company are to improve the workplace environment and establish policies that will prevent the re-occurrence of previous mistakes. The company also aims to promote accountability and fairness moving forward.
Recently, Kalanick’s parents were in a boating accident that killed his mother and seriously injured his father. His mind is not fully dedicated to Uber 2.0, or Travis 2.0., as stated in an email the CEO sent to employees.
Kalanick said it is time to turn the page on this period in the company’s 8-year-history. He has assembled a leadership team that will collectively run Uber, in his absence. He stated he would be available for strategic decisions but trusts the leadership team to boldly and decisively move Uber forward.
Written by Jeanette Smith
Source:
NBC News: Uber’s Embattled CEO Travis Kalanick Is Taking ‘Undetermined’ Leave
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