Uber Last week, CEO Dara Khosrowshahi told employees “what is that?” after the employee announced they would be changing profits by increasing the requirements within the office.
On April 28, the ride company told employees that it would need to go up two days from two in June. Uber also changed the eligibility for a month’s paid sabbatical merit, raising the requirement from the company’s five years to eight years. The company also told employees who had previously been approved for remote work that they needed to come in.
Khosrowshahi defended changes to the policy against Feisty employees who pasted questions and criticism on him at company meetings and Uber’s internal forums, according to audio and communications obtained by CNBC.
“If you’re here for sabbatical and this change will cause you to change your mind, then what is it,” Khosrowshahi told employees at the All Hands meeting on April 29th. “I’m sorry. I’m hoping to be here is the impact on the company. Learning here. I’m aware that some of these changes are not popular with people. This is the risk we decided to take.”
The conflict within Uber highlights the growing tension between tech workers and technology management. Workers have been attracted to Silicon Valley for years because of their idealistic value, perks and job safety, but since 2022, tech companies have cut benefits and implemented continuous layoffs.
GoogleFor example, we notified some previously approved employees for remote work that they should return to the office if they want to avoid getting involved in layoffs, CNBC reported last month.
Uber told CNBC in a statement that it is more suited to collaboration, innovation and corporate culture.
“It’s not surprising that not everyone is excited about remote work or changes to its sabbatical policy,” the company said. “But the leadership job is to do what you do in the best interests of your clients and shareholders.”
Employees were flooded with questions and comments on the company’s internal Slido forum after Uber announced changes to its memo last week.
“Srid has been invaded essentially by questions about changes we made,” Khosrowshahi said at the start of the meeting, adding that the questions were integrated.
“Aren’t five years of service tenure? Especially when burnout is ramping in the organization,” a highly rated comment from one employee added that they had already paid for future sabbatical trips.
Khosrowshahi said Uber is a “gen-Ai-Ai-Ai-powered company” that requires them to participate in the game. He said employees should be more interested in the impact on the company than in the profits that facilitated the pushback of more employees.
Some questions asked if Uber had made policy changes in hopes of forcing some people to resign.
“We don’t do anything in terms of the need to drive attrition and layoffs,” Khosrowshahi said, adding that the changes have nothing to do with cost reductions. “None of that is planned. The business is really, really well run. But listen, it’s not enough for us. We need to be good as a company.”
Uber will report its first quarter financial results on Wednesday.
Nikki Krishnamurthy, Chief People’s Officer and Senior Vice President of Uber.
Courtesy: Uber
After the All-Hands meeting, Uber Chief People Officer Nikki Krishnamurthy sent a note saying that employee comments about the meeting broadcast “beyond professional and rude lines.”
According to a memo seen by CNBC, “It’s not okay. “We’re open to each other through good times and bad times. But seeing these behaviors makes it harder to stay open in the same way.”
In 2022, Uber established Tuesday and Thursday, with most employees having to spend at least half of their working hours in their current offices, allowing them to work remotely on “personal productivity.”
“Our business exists in the real world, on the streets of thousands of cities, and it is important that we connect to the places we serve,” Krishnamursi wrote at the time.
According to comments seen by CNBC, several employees changed to the three-day change in the company’s forum, citing three-day meeting rooms and workplace spaces.
“On each anchor day, finding a place to sit with your team is a challenge,” said one employee.
Anchor Days’ goal is to “have as many people as possible in the office,” Khosrowshahi said, adding that Uber will track employee attendance.
Krishnamurthy addressed concerns about office space at the company meeting and announced that Uber is adding 700,000 square feet of office space between its San Francis Commission Bay and its Seattle offices. Additional space will be sent towards more meeting rooms and cafeterias, Krishnamursih added that the remodel will be built until 2026.
