5 ms·
If 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 t
by twblalock 10y ago
If 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.
- 0898 10y agoHR works for the organisation. It's not there to protect you. Source: work in the HR industry.
- mc32 10y agoYep. No fan of Ellen Pao, but it seems obvious HR did her no favors over at Kleiner Perkins.
- twblalock 10y agoThis is true, but I should point out that an organization with foresight would not permit harassment of employees, because the long-term cost of the lawsuits and bad publicity will be bad for the organization.
- acjohnson55 10y agoBut Uber's entire business plan is about flouting rules and sustainability so that they can become irreplaceable. The sad fact is that they're probably being entirely rational. What's right is often unprofitable, short-term and long-term. Unless they have a big exodus of talent or customers, even a report this embarrassing is unlikely to slow the juggernaut.
- scott_karana 10y agoThat's Uber's strategic focus publically, but HR is an internal department and could conceivably be different, just like how their Marketing team almost certainly doesn't flout (or at least emphasize) flouting of laws.
- raverbashing 10y agoWorking for the organization should also mean avoiding potential lawsuits
- eloisant 10y agoAlso working for the organization doesn't mean working for that specific middle manager who keeps harassing co-workers.
- ForrestN 10y agoSecond. The writer and the others should sue, not only to be compensated for their own injuries but to protect others who might be harassed as well.
- josephlord 10y agoThere are huge professional and personal costs to suing. She has done more by most to protect others by going public. Isn't her job to fix Uber via lawsuit.
- azernik 10y agoSomeone needs to do it. It's not any particular person's duty, and she has definitely gone above and beyond by writing this up, but it would be a great public service for someone to bring a (preferably class-action) lawsuit.
- home_boi 10y ago> she has definitely gone above and beyond by writing this up I would hazard a guess and say that she is doing this to market her newly published book and newly created book club than. Not really altruistic, although it may have a positive effect.
- brobinson 10y agoDoes Uber require employees to sign an arbitration agreement when they join?
- tubehouse 10y agoYes
- grey-area 10y agoSuing would have lots of negative consequences, and few upsides. It would take up months of time, be immensely frustrating, stressful and lead other employers to be wary of you in future (even if most wouldn't admit it). Your name would be dragged through the mud by Uber in an attempt to derail the case, and you'd become an online target for haters (as with Ellen Pao). All for some uncertain monetary reward. Who needs that kind of stress and hassle? Writing this article (which was superb in its incredulous anger) is a better way to get closure IMO, but this should be her decision alone.
- j_s 10y agoCompanies such as Uber will continue these destructive behaviors until they face genuine consequences that impact their bottom line. You have summarized a number of reasons why I would never ask anyone to volunteer to be the one to accomplish this. This entire episode will hopefully shine some light on the true difficulties that need to be overcome to promote STEM diversity.
- grey-area 10y agoThis could lead to genuine consequences, perhaps more than a lawsuit. Anyway, we shouldn't even be talking about what she is doing, how about the evil actions of Uber?
- exolymph 10y ago> Companies such as Uber will continue these destructive behaviors until they face genuine consequences that impact their bottom line. Having a hard time recruiting is a serious consequence.
- stickfigure 10y agoIf this article catches public attention, Uber will attempt to bring these canons to bear anyway.
- twblalock 10y agoIt's currently the top story on The Verge.
- JumpCrisscross 10y agoOr report the incident to your state labour commission.
- jannettee 10y agoUber's employment contract includes an agreement that you won't take them to court.
- Herald_MJ 10y agoIs that legally enforceable?
- eanzenberg 10y agoNo.
- emddudley 10y agoOf course not.
- jannettee 10y agoI don't know, but it was certainly scary to see.
- deleted 10y ago[deleted]
- CGamesPlay 10y agoSo when you sue them, you also get fired, if you hadn't quit already. I am pretty confident you'd find a similar clause in any company's employment contract, but even if it wasn't there it would be a safe assumption that any lawsuit brought against a current employer would result in termination.
- MBCook 10y agoWild guess says that companies can't opt themselves out of sexual harassment laws with a simple clause in their contract.
- bsder 10y agoLawsuits cost enormous amounts of time and effort. A rich company has way more of both than you do.
- wengachang 10y agoHer story is bullshit. Typical attention whore. Didn't get a jacket. Report to HR. Something happened that she interpreted. Report to HR. If the story is credible why wait for ONE year. Either SUE publicly or post messages publicly. I call bullshit. Pussy thirsty Betas on Hacker News will of course side with her. I think she is doing for attention for her book.
- sctb 10y agoWe've banned this account.
- tyingq 10y agoHer choice to write about it might end up being a bigger incentive for change there than a lawsuit. She tells the story quite well. Probably an ideal story for some journalist(s) to pick up and expand on.
- tyingq 10y agoFor once, I appear to have guessed correctly :) Enough impact that Uber is now hiring Eric Holder as a lead investigator.
- mandevil 10y agoEveryone is talking about why she didn't sue. Given the way the courts have ruled recently on binding arbitration, is it possible that she has no recourse to actual courts, just to arbiters? (She never says if such a clause was included in her employment contract, but I know that it has been included in the last two contracts that I signed.) Wouldn't that foreclose her opportunity to sue, and just to go into the much less favorable (for her) arbitration process?
- danaliv 10y agoSuing is great and all, but do you have any idea how hard it is? How much work it is, and how financially and emotionally draining it is? You can't just call up a lawyer, tell them your story, and expect magic justice sprinkles to do the rest. There are retainers to pay, depositions to do, discovery... and the whole process is adversarial _by design_. It's a nightmare. Anyone who's willing to go through it is a goddamn superhero in my book.