Uber has some corporate culture challenges by its own admission. It’s trying to fix them, but it’s not as easy as, say, getting a ride somewhere. One of Uber’s challenges is creating an environment that’s friendly to women — a familiar challenge that runs throughout the tech industry. The Wall Street Journal interviewed Uber HR chief Liane Hornsey about not just making Uber better for the women who are employed there now, but also about bringing more women in. Asked about applying a version of the “Rooney Rule” that would dictate at least one woman be interviewed for every job opening, Hornsey said it was awfully hard. Especially when it comes to engineering positions.
When she’s trying to fill an HR slot, sure she can apply the Rooney Rule, but even if Carnegie-Mellon and MIT keep educating female engineers, somehow interviewing them leaves Hornsey “scratching [her] head.” Here’s what Hornsey told the WSJ: “I’ve got to be honest, it’s going to be bloody hard when it comes to engineering. We’re starting where it’s easier, such as in my function, where there are more women. I’m really scratching my head about how the hell I do this in engineering, and I’m going to really have to try.”
