WeWork has reportedly been bleeding HR managers in the last year, and some are pointing fingers at CEO Adam Neumann

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WeWork has reportedly been bleeding HR managers in the last year, and some are pointing fingers at CEO Adam Neumann

adam neumann

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Even as WeWork is gearing up for an initial public offering and hiring slews of new people, it's having trouble retaining its top human resources managers, The Information reported on Tuesday.

Over the last year, nearly a dozen HR managers have left or are in the process of leaving the company, including the department's interim head, the senior director of talent acquisition, and the head of people strategy, according to the report. Additionally, at least five top human-resources officials left the company between 2015 and last year, including the company's permanent chief HR officer, The Information reported. The company has been searching off and on for a new full-time chief HR officer since last year, but has been unable to fill the position, according to the report.

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A WeWork representative did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment.

Most of the HR managers who left the company did so voluntarily, according to The Information, but several reported disagreements or clashes with CEO Adam Neumann or Jen Berrent, WeWork's co-president and chief legal officer. Neumann has criticized employees behind their backs, describing some as "B players," the outlet reported.

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Additionally, at least two former HR officials have filed sexual harassment claims against the company, according to the report. One, Lisa Bridges, claimed in her suit that the company ignored a study she put together that found that 94% of all equity awards worth $1 million or more went to men.

Read this: WeWork reportedly gave 94% of stock awards worth $1 million or more to men, according to an internal study

WeWork has been on a hiring spree of late. At the end of June, it had 12,500 employees, according to the paperwork it recently made public in advance of its planned initial public offering. That was up 4,000 at the beginning of last year, according to The Information. Human resources departments typically oversee the process of hiring and integrating new workers.

As it prepares to go public, WeWork has been facing increasing scrutiny over its business and management. The company is dominated by Neumann, who has engaged in a series of transactions and moves that have raised eyebrows among analysts and potential investors.

Read more about the HR departures at The Information.

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