The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced Wednesday that Uber has agreed to pay more than $4 million after it was found to have permitted a culture of sexual harassment and retaliation at its workplace. The company will establish a fund of $4.4 million to compensate anyone who the EEOC determines experienced sexual harassment, retaliation or both after Jan. 1, 2014.
Ami Sanghvi, an EEOC attorney who advised on the investigation, said in a statement: "This agreement will hopefully empower women in technology to speak up against sexism in the workplace knowing that their voices can yield meaningful change." The company will also create a new system for identifying employees who have been the subject of more than one harassment complaint, and for identifying managers who did not respond to the harassment concerns in a timely manner, the EEOC said.
In addition, Uber will update its policies with the help of a third-party consultant and be monitored for a period of three years by former EEOC Commissioner Fred Alvarez.
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