HR is there to protect the company in the US. I've seen lots of people fired over things like this. If they had fired you they would have given you severance in exchange for a gag order given the circumstances. Under the Obama administration you might have seen more prosecution over things like this but not under Trump.
Reflecting on one very, very strange year at Uber
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Re: Reflecting on one very, very strange year at Uber
#12If you are sexually harassed, and HR doesn't do anything about it, you should sue. Don't expect HR to change. If the stories in this article are true, and if the evidence is as strong as the article says it is, this is a slam-dunk case for sexual harassment, hostile work environment, retaliation, etc.
HR works for the organisation. It's not there to protect you. Source: work in the HR industry.
Working for the organization should also mean avoiding potential lawsuits
Re: Reflecting on one very, very strange year at Uber
#13> The HR rep began the meeting by asking me if I had noticed that I was the common theme in all of the reports I had been making
That's such a meaningless thing for an HR person to ask someone, that it clearly only serves to be patronising and hopefully stop them bringing problems up. I mean, how could you as an HR staffer possibly justify your inaction with an argument like that?
"We didn't act on any of their complaints, as we noticed that in all the cases of harassment that they reported, they were the victim in all of them!"
Re: Reflecting on one very, very strange year at Uber
#14If you are sexually harassed, and HR doesn't do anything about it, you should sue. Don't expect HR to change. If the stories in this article are true, and if the evidence is as strong as the article says it is, this is a slam-dunk case for sexual harassment, hostile work environment, retaliation, etc.
Does Uber require employees to sign an arbitration agreement when they join?
Re: Reflecting on one very, very strange year at Uber
#15In case anyone isn't sure why the original interaction is harassment: relationships within a reporting chain are generally prohibited, for both legal, ethical, and practical reasons. Sex becoming part of the effective job description crosses both legal and ethical lines, and team effectiveness is hindered when people wonder whether someone is getting special treatment because they're sleeping with the boss.
A manager propositioned a new employee on her first day on his team -- asking not just for a date but for sex. That's way over the line.
Also, this isn't just a gendered thing -- Google the story of Keith Rabois resigning as COO of Square.
Re: Reflecting on one very, very strange year at Uber
#16Never trust HR.
Re: Reflecting on one very, very strange year at Uber
#17I am struggling to think of something productive to contribute to this discussion, because this absolutely incensed me.
In lieu of anything else: Susan deserves to be commended for her bravery in writing this.
Re: Reflecting on one very, very strange year at Uber
#18Not to derail the whole premise of this article, but Susan's book looks great! Just bought it and can't wait to start reading it.
Re: Reflecting on one very, very strange year at Uber
#19Wow this is unbelievable, I know sexism is still very much real in the workplace but I'm floored it's this overt. And the incompetence shown by HR is baffling.
Re: Reflecting on one very, very strange year at Uber
#20HR doesn't work for you, it works for the company.
HR's failing pretty hard at protecting the company here, though.