Twenty people have been fired at controversial taxi firm Uber, after an investigation into allegations of harassment.
Uber’s head of global diversity and inclusion Bernard Coleman said the dismissals were “the first step of many”, adding that he was “excited to see some progress… I want to make Uber a better and better place to work.”
The action comes after taxi firm Uber became the centre of a series of scandals, the most high-profile of which came after Susan Fowler, a former Uber engineer, published a blog post titled, “Reflecting On One Very, Very Strange Year At Uber” detailing her experiences of sexual harassment towards female employees.
Uber then hired law firm Perkins Coie to investigate a total of 215 claims, with 100 resulting in no action and 57 still under review. 20 people have been fired, five have been issued with written and warnings and two have been referred for further training.
Worldwide, the company is 36.1 percent female and 63.9 percent male, with women making up just 15.4 percent of Uber’s tech workforce. Bernard Coleman has pledged to increase diversity in the Uber workplace, working to change the public’s negative perception of the company and instigate better management procedures.