2. VGSoM, IIT Kharagpur | HRM Presentation| Uber
Contents
VGSoM, IIT Kharagpur | HRM Presentation| Uber
About the Company
Organizational Structure
Recruitment & Selection
Employee Benefits
Performance Appraisal
Training & Development
Uber’s mistake
Case: Resignation of Travis Kalanic
3. VGSoM, IIT Kharagpur | HRM Presentation| Uber
About the Company
• Uber Technologies Inc. is a peer-to-peer ridesharing, food
delivery, and transportation network company headquartered
in San Francisco, California.
• It has operations in about 633 cities worldwide and its
platforms can be accessed via its website and mobile app.
4. VGSoM, IIT Kharagpur | HRM Presentation| Uber
History of Uber
• Uber was founded in 2009 as UberCab by
Garrett Camp, the co-founder of
StumbleUpon, and Travis Kalanick, who had
sold his Red Swoosh startup for $19 million
in 2007.
• On a New Year's Eve, Camp spent $800 hiring
a private driver with friends and had been
mulling over ways to decrease the cost of
black car services ever since. He realized that
sharing the cost with people could make it
affordable, and his idea morphed into Uber.
• Following a beta launch in May 2010, Uber's
services and mobile app officially launched
in San Francisco in 2011.
• After the initial launch many new initiatives
like UberX, Uber Pool, Self-driving car
research, Plans for VTOL planes, UberEATS
and other such initiatives came into being.
5. VGSoM, IIT Kharagpur | HRM Presentation| Uber
How Uber works?
• Riding with Uber
• Driving with Uber
• Rating scores
8. VGSoM, IIT Kharagpur | HRM Presentation| Uber
Recruitment for Executives
External
-Uber generally recruits
people with creative
and analytical skills
-Online portal
-Off-campus Drive
-Referral Drive
Internal
- Team Transfer
- Location Transfer
- Project Innovation
9. VGSoM, IIT Kharagpur | HRM Presentation| Uber
Selection Procedure
• Situational Interview
– Questions based on
real-life scenarios
– Skype Interview
• Time : 1 to 2 hour
• Difficulty Level : Hard
• Focus : creativity, critical
thinking
• Behavioural Aspect
– HR interview
• Time : 15 to 20 min
• Focus : Cultural fit
• Technical Knowhow
– Roles : Finance,
Design, Engineering,
Operations
– Difficulty level :
Moderate to hard
– Time : 1 to 2 hour
• No brain teasers
11. VGSoM, IIT Kharagpur | HRM Presentation| Uber
Performance Appraisal for drivers
• Feedback from customers for drivers on 5
point Likert scale
• Main evaluation is on three performance
matrix
– Driver’s rating
– How many rides driver accepts
– How many rides driver rejects
• Incentives on accomplishing targets
12. VGSoM, IIT Kharagpur | HRM Presentation| Uber
Performance Appraisal for Executives
• Appraisal done by Internal Rating and Performance Review
(Perf)
• Stack Ranking (Scale 1 to 5)
• Peer Review(low weightage)
• Pressure of competing with each other
Score Remarks
1-2 Send to PIP or fire
3 5-7% growth
4 15%+ growth
5 Reserved for CXO
14. VGSoM, IIT Kharagpur | HRM Presentation| Uber
Training and Development
• Partnership with Maruti and National Skill
Development Corporation (NSDC)
– UberSHAAN : Creating 1 million livelihood
opportunities in India
• Uber Training Videos: Helping drivers
understand good practices while riding for
Uber.
• Off Shore Training - Uberversity: Making new
employees aware of the Uber Culture.
15. VGSoM, IIT Kharagpur | HRM Presentation| Uber
Employee Benefits
Uber Technologies pays its employees 14% above market.
16. VGSoM, IIT Kharagpur | HRM Presentation| Uber
Uber’s mistake: Downplaying HR
• Just like other fast-growing start-ups, Uber
viewed Human Resource management as an
overlooked priority
• Only hiring top talent was prioritized
• No focus on other aspects of Human Resource
management
• This attitude increased their chances of
exposure to corporate risk.
17. VGSoM, IIT Kharagpur | HRM Presentation| Uber
Uber’s mistake: Why people leave ?
• Lack of career advancement opportunities
• Hostile work environment
• Dissatisfaction with senior leadership
• Burnout
It has been seen that the most common reasons
why people leave organizations are as follows:
18. VGSoM, IIT Kharagpur | HRM Presentation| Uber
Uber 2.0: Steps to address the mistakes
Training Process
Performance Review Additional Initiatives
Work-Life balance
• Mandatory HR training focusing
on handling of complaints
• Mandatory manager training
• Mandatory interview training
• Set personal goals
• More feedback from managers
• Competition with self and focus on
self improvement
• Work from home for people
with kids or long commutes
• Dinner at 7 instead of 8:15 to
better accommodate families
• Surveys for employees to
measure “employee sentiment”
• Establishment of Employee
Diversity Advisory Board
19. VGSoM, IIT Kharagpur | HRM Presentation| Uber
Push for Uber 2.0
All the mentioned changes implemented by
Uber in their HR policies were triggered by a
series of events which ultimately lead to the
resignation of their CEO Travis Kalanic.
20. VGSoM, IIT Kharagpur | HRM Presentation| Uber
The resignation of Travis Kalanic
VGSoM, IIT Kharagpur | HRM Presentation| Uber
The events that led to the resignation of CEO, Travis Kalanic :
Feb 19, 2017
Susan Fowler, a former Uber engineer, published a blog post
(https://www.susanjfowler.com/blog/2017/2/19/reflecting-on-one-very-strange-year-at-
uber) explaining her recent departure from the company and accusing Uber of sexual
harassment. In response, Kalanick launched an “urgent investigation” into the accusations.
The company also hired former U.S Attorney General Eric Holder to investigate reports of
sexual harassment
Feb. 28, 2017
Kalanick apologized and said it was time for him to “grow up” after a video showed him
arguing with an Uber driver who complained that pay rates for drivers had fallen and told
Kalanick that “people are not trusting you anymore.” Kalanic in response was seen
swearing at him.
21. VGSoM, IIT Kharagpur | HRM Presentation| Uber
The resignation of Travis Kalanic
VGSoM, IIT Kharagpur | HRM Presentation| Uber
March 19, 2017
Uber President Jeff Jones quit after less than seven months in the position. His
announcement followed the departure of Ed Baker, vice president of product and
growth, and Charlie Miller, an Uber security researcher, earlier in March.
May, 2017
The U.S. Department of Justice launched a criminal investigation into Uber’s use of
a secret software tool known as “Greyball,” which helped it to evade local law
enforcement officials in places where the service was not yet approved.
June 7, 2017
Eric Alexander, Uber’s president of business in the Asia-Pacific region, was fired
after journalists began asking about reports that he obtained the medical records of a
woman who was raped by her Uber driver in India in 2014 and showed the records to top
executives, including Kalanick.
22. VGSoM, IIT Kharagpur | HRM Presentation| Uber
The resignation of Travis Kalanic
VGSoM, IIT Kharagpur | HRM Presentation| Uber
June 8, 2017
Recode published one of his mails regarding an office party in Miami in 2013. The email
to the staff showed his informal approach to office relationships, over indulgence and
behaviour under the influence of alcohol.
June 11, 2017
Uber’s board of directors voted unanimously to adopt all recommendations from former
U.S. Attorney General Holder following his investigation into company culture. The
recommendations included reducing Kalanick’s authority and sharing his responsibilities
with other executives, improving the complaint process through human resources, and
increasing the independent oversight of the board.
June 13, 2017
Kalanick announced he would take an indefinite leave of absence from the company,
citing his mother’s recent death in a boating accident.
23. VGSoM, IIT Kharagpur | HRM Presentation| Uber
Changes in Leadership
VGSoM, IIT Kharagpur | HRM Presentation| Uber
The following changes have been made after the resignation of Travis Kalanic
• Review and reallocate the responsibilities of Travis Kalanick
• Use the search for a chief operating officer take over the running of the
company's day-to-day operations and overseeing its corporate culture.
• Use performance reviews to hold senior leaders accountable: Company
leaders will be specifically assessed on their efforts to build an inclusive,
happy, and diverse team
• Employment actions: Uber's HR department will take certain unspecified
actions delegated to it by the company's board of directors and the special
committee of the board that oversaw the investigation.
