Uber will try to change its 'bro culture' by cutting down on alcohol at work
Reuters/Staff
As part of the 13-page report Uber commissioned from former US attorney general Eric Holder and his law firm that was released Tuesday, Uber laid out new guidelines for drinking at work and company events.
Uber will now prohibit drinking and using drugs "during core work hours, at work events, or at other work-sponsored events."
Uber will also cut back its alcohol budget for parties, reduce alcohol inside the office, and limit when it reimburses managers for alcohol purchased at events outside the office. The report recommends that Uber also stop making alcohol the focal point of work parties.
According to a tweet from BuzzFeed News reporter Priya Anand, Uber will also stop providing beer on tap before company meals.
The recommendations may introduce major changes at Uber, a company that has long been fueled by partying and lavish employee retreats that have involved heavy drinking, drugs, and sex.
Before a 2013 company bash in Miami, CEO Travis Kalanick wrote a letter to employees laying out the "rules" for drinking and sex at the party, like "Do not throw kegs off tall buildings" and no sex with fellow employees unless "you have asked that person for that privilege and they have responded with an emphatic 'YES! I will have sex with you.'"
While the Miami letter stated sex between employees was prohibited on the trip if they were in the same chain of command, the Holder recommendations takes it one step further, placing limits on relationships between an employee and his or her direct supervisor.
"If employees in a reporting relationship find themselves in a romantic or intimate relationship, they must be required to immediately report it so that appropriate action can be taken, including making sure that the individuals are not in any type of reporting relationship (direct or indirect) going forward," the report states.
The Holder report features a total of 47 recommendations for culture fixes at Uber, ranging from ways to improve diversity and tougher performance reviews for executives. Kalanick will be taking a leave of absence from Uber, and upon his return, some of his responsibilities will be "reallocated."
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