Why Silicon Valley Doesn't Seem to Care About HR
- Companies in other industries add human resources much faster
- HR at tech startups focuses on recruiting, not training
In the latest episode of Tech Bros Behaving Badly, former Uber engineer Susan Fowler says she was propositioned by her boss and denied advancement because of her gender. Perhaps an even more egregious allegation is that the human resources department and senior managers at the company ignored her complaints.
Uber Technologies Inc. now joins a growing list of Silicon Valley companies that seem unable – or unwilling – to address bad behavior in the workplace, particularly if it’s directed at women. This isn’t an accident, experts say: It’s partly a consequence of a growth-at-all-costs environment that sees human resources as a drag on the mission. Some new companies also see human resources professionals as rule-bound killjoys, anathema to the work-hard, play-hard culture of startups.