This is the language that an Uber recruiter used to discuss its sexism problem
So it appears that some Uber recruiters are aware of the sexism problems at the ride-hailing giant.
After Mashable published an interview with senior software engineer Kamilah Taylor, who publicly shared (on Twitter) her awkward interaction with Uber, another potential recruit sent his experience.
Genady Okrain is the founder of an app called Momento GIFs and is based in San Francisco, where Uber is headquartered. It's no secret that the company is aggressively hiring. Uber reported having more than 9,000 employees in early January. That changed to more than 11,000 in late February.
While the female recruiter speaking to Taylor blamed industries, including the tech industry, with having a systemic issue with sexism, this recruiter apparently knows it's a hard time at Uber.
Here's the email exchange from February 10 to March 15, with the name and personal information of the recruiter redacted. These emails were provided by Okrain.
Seems like pretty standard recruiting behavior until you look at this line:
"However, in light of current events, I understand if you have concerns or questions. I would be glad to be a resource for you and share any information that I can," she wrote.
What's also intriguing about that line is it's in a faded grey, as Okrain confirmed. That most likely means it's copied and pasted.
But hey, at least, Uber is aware of the problem and wanting to talk about it no matter whether they are taking the time to type it out every time or pasting the same language over and over again.
Uber did not immediately respond to a request for comment if this is language used and suggested by the company from the top.
Uber HR is at least doing something. Liane Hornsey, Uber's head of human resources, told reporters earlier this week, "The focus of the company has been on the business not the employees ... Many employees don’t find our performance management system transparent or equitable."
"We’ve updated 1,500 Uber job descriptions to ensure they are free from unconscious bias. In addition we’re focusing on improving candidate experience, ensuring we have diverse panels of trained interviewers. We are running interview training for women in tech to ensure that all our female employees are really well equipped to be involved," she continued.
Topics Uber
Kerry Flynn is a business reporter for Mashable covering the tech industry. She previously reported on social media companies, mobile apps and startups for International Business Times. She has also written for The Huffington Post, Forbes and Money magazine. Kerry studied environmental science and economics at Harvard College, where she led The Harvard Crimson's metro news and design teams and played mellophone in the Band. When not listening to startup pitches, she runs half-marathons, plays with puppies and pretends to like craft beer.
