Introduction
Sexual harassment at the workplace is a serious issue that might impact a person’s well-being, his/her performance, and chances for a successful career. It can also be viewed as one of the sides of discrimination and infringement of human rights, which is unacceptable in modern society. For this reason, numerous organizations try to create a working environment free from any forms of discrimination or abusive behaviors. However, the problem remains topical, which is evidenced by Fowler’s claims. Uber, one of the giant corporations enjoying high revenues, fails to establish an appropriate working culture and protect its workers and independent contractors from sexual harassment. It should be viewed as a critical issue threatening the future of the company and its reputation.
Background
The current data can evidence the significance of the issue and its strong impact on companies. Following Fowler’s report and the subsequent investigation, Uber’s share in the market of rides has dropped to 75% from 90% (della Cava, 2017). It can be viewed as the result of the scandal triggered by Fowler. She outlines her negative experiences of harassment and its disregard from the top management (Fowler, 2017). The independent investigation performed by the company to improve the situation revealed numerous cases of inappropriate behavior, which led to the firing of 20 workers who misbehaved (Lien, 2017). However, the analysis of the company’s work shows that the problem remains topical, and there is a need to cultivate diversity within the company.
Cox and Blake’s Business Case
For this reason, Uber’s changes in the approach to leadership and focus on the inclusion of more female executives might help to improve the situation and generate specific benefits. For instance, following Cox and Blake’s business case for diversity, the company might acquire specific advantages:
The reconsideration of the current approach and cultivation of diversity might help to improve the marketing sphere. The brand has already lost a significant market share because of recent events. It means that more inclusive policies might help to improve its reputation and reacquire the clients’ loyalty and trust, which is vital after the scandal (OpenStax, 2019). Furthermore, Uber’s leadership team changes might increase the system’s flexibility and readiness to adapt to new conditions (OpenStax, 2019). Diversity is one of the key factors cultivating high adaptivity levels, which is linked to the existence of numerous options and opinions (OpenStax, 2019). As a result, it is also possible to expect enhanced problem solving and creativity as the result of recent changes aimed at promoting positive change within the leadership team (OpenStax, 2019). Due to the current changes, Uber might generate a competitive advantage and strengthen its market position.
Legal Protection of Whistleblowing
Continuing the analysis of Uber’s case, it is vital to admit the critical importance of Fowler’s decision to share information about her negative experiences while working at the company. It helped to attract attention to the discovered problem and initiate change within the firm. For this reason, the Whistleblower Protection Act protects employees from retaliation for disclosing activities that might violate current laws or regulations (Federal Trade Commission, n.d.). The law ensures that any victim of inappropriate behavior might report, which is one of the factors ensuring transparency and safety.
Sexual Harassment Prevention
Uber’s case also evidences the critical importance of preventing sexual harassment in the workplace. It helps to avoid conflicts and might protect any company from reputational and financial losses. The first possible strategy to achieve the goal is making sexual harassment prevention the company’s priority (Whittenbury, 2020). Independent contractors and employees should realize that the firm focuses on cultivating diversity, and inappropriate behaviors will not be tolerated (Whittenbury, 2020). This information should be shared immediately upon recruitment to familiarize would-be partners with the basic principles of the company’s work and culture. It might help to promote positive changes within the brand and relations between individuals.
Sexual harassment training is another potent strategy that might help prevent incidents as the one described. The problem is that in many cases, employees do not understand the unacceptability and inexpedience of their actions (Whittenbury, 2020). It demonstrates the lack of knowledge about the correct behavior within a team. Sexual harassment training focuses on outlining the negative signals and actions that can be classified as abusive or undesired behaviors (Whittenbury, 2020). It helps employees realize their misconduct and avoid these actions in the future (Whittenbury, 2020). For this reason, sexual harassment training is a powerful strategy to address the discussed problem.
Fowler’s post shows another practical method to struggle against harassment and abuse at the workplace. Introducing the effective reporting model is one of the possible methods to ensure that the cases of undesired behaviors are noticed and addressed immediately (Price & Nelson, 2018). It is also one of the guarantees that the problem with not become a systemic issue, and the in-depth analysis by using third parties’ services will not be required. Thus, establishing effective reporting and whistleblowing practices is the key to monitoring the situation within a company and preventing new cases of abusive behavior.
Finally, sexual harassment should be considered extremely severe misconduct that cannot be ignored. For this reason, using severe punishments and penalties for the discovered cases might be viewed as a potent preventive measure (Price & Nelson, 2018). Employees should be informed about the impossibility of such actions and the severity of measures that might be used to impact violators of the existing rules (Price & Nelson, 2018). It might promote a better understanding of the problem’s significance and unacceptability.
Legally Classified vs. Independent Contractors
Finally, analyzing Uber’s case, it is possible to state that legally classified workers face fewer chances of facing harassment. It can be explained by the existence of federal laws protecting employees from various forms of abuse and the legal contracts regulating their interactions with the firm (Conger, 2020). At the same time, independent contractors might be viewed as less valuable and controlled workers, meaning that companies might devote low attention to their needs and priorities. As a result, a higher risk of inappropriate behaviors emerges. It means that the existing legislation should be reconsidered to ensure both these groups have legal protection.
Conclusion
Altogether, Uber’s case shows the critical importance of sexual harassment issues. The lack of attention to diversity and culture within the company might precondition significant reputational and financial losses. For this reason, it is essential to focus on inclusion and diversity as the aspects helping to generate a competitive advantage. At the same time, prevention strategies, such as training, reporting, and focusing on harassment, should be employed to avoid repetition of the mentioned problems and ensure companies can evolve and benefit from the positive image and brand reputation.
References
Conger, K. (2020). Uber and Lyft drivers in California will remain contractors. The New York Times. Web.
della Cava, M. (2017). Uber has lost market share to Lyft during crisis. USA Today. Web.
Fowler, S. (2017). Reflecting on one very, very strange year at Uber. Susan Fowler. Web.
Federal Trade Commission. (n.d.). Whistleblower protection. Web.
Lien, T. (2017). Uber fires 20 workers after harassment investigation. Los Angeles Times. Web.
OpenStax. (2019). Principles of management. Rice University.
Price, K., & Nelson, K. (2018). Planning effective instruction: Diversity responsive methods and management (6th ed.). Cengage Learning.
Whittenbury, B. (2020). How to handle sexual harassment in the workplace during the #MeToo era: A guide for employees and managers. Kolbury Press.