"My Boss is an Uber Racist! What Do I Do?"
The Business of Furniture - 7/12/17 Edition
Stephen Says Column

 Dear Stephen:

 I am sure this is one of the strangest emails you have ever received, but I really need to get another opinion. I am a single woman, and I work in sales support for a major manufacturer. On occasion, maybe once a week or every other week, I'll go for cocktails after work with a woman co-worker of mine. After a few cocktails, neither one of us wants to drive home, so instead, we leave our cars and call an Uber.
 
 We don’t get sloppy fall-down drunk; we just know better than to drive. We've had to call a car maybe a half dozen times in the past year. Only last week did I realize that my friend does something strange when ordering our car. We always share the ride because my place is right on the way, so she orders the car and drops me off. I paid attention as she ordered the car last week
 
 because I never use the app, and she was trying to encourage me to.
 My coworker put in our location, confirmed our location and then confirmed again that we wanted the ride. As anyone who uses Uber knows, at this point, our car is basically on the way. The type of car (brand and color) and the driver popped up on the phone screen, and then, before I knew it, she canceled the ride. I asked her what that was about, and she nonchalantly told me that she always waits to see the driver’s race and gender before getting in the car.
 I was shocked. The woman I enjoy a cocktail with quite frequently is a racist and very willing to admit it! In the same matter-of-fact tone, she added that it always takes longer for her to get a car because she cancels the car if she sees a black
 
 person, someone of Middle Eastern or Asian descent or a woman driver behind the wheel.
 It hadn't even occurred to me all our drivers had been white men. She said her husband told her to do this to “stay safe,” but I could tell screening her driver by color and gender did not exactly bother her. This is not a woman that anyone could tell what to do anyway. I know this because she is also my boss. We get along at work, and I like her socially. I consider us friends, in addition to her being my boss, but I had no idea she was like this. It’s not like this is a colleague who I can just choose to ignore.

 

Dear Uber Racist,


 What a story. So you now know your boss selects her Uber car not by XL, pool or SUV, but by the race and gender of the driver. Wow. Funny thing is that after all I read about Travis Kalanick who helped to create Uber and the misogynistic culture of Silicon Valley in general, I would not be surprised if many people who work for the app use it in the very same way your boss does. I bet if Uber could, they would advertise what you described as a great feature of the app. It makes perfect sense in that culture.
 Now, be ready because you won’t like what you’re about to hear. I think you are just as guilty of prejudice as your boss for not taking a stand then and there. You let it happen. Tell me something: Did you enjoy your ride home that night? What was your conversation in the car like? Did you talk about how white the driver was? Any company, large or small, would never want to hire person like your boss, or frankly anyone who enables such a person, which brings us back to you.
 If you worked for me and I heard that story, I would fire both of you. Your instincts are right, this is a bad story, but not only for your boss. It’s telling that you feel like you need advice on something like this. I would think the answer is black and white (no pun intended).
 I understand being scared of losing your job. I also understand you may like your boss socially — Lord knows there are plenty of personable racists. But there are certain actions that cannot be brooked. Once you know something like this about your boss, I don’t think you can continue working for her without broaching the subject. You should be ashamed of how you acted, but beyond that you cannot and should not continue to be idle in your current situation. It’s unconscionable, and it seems like you know this.
 You asked for my advice and so I’ll give it: Talk to your racist boss. Confront her and explain how uncomfortable that night made you feel. Then change departments and file your complaint with HR. Prejudice exists everywhere, but any chance you have to stamp out this insidiousness is a golden opportunity. You missed this chance, but there is still hope. It isn’t easy, and there’s no app for that, but you have to do it.

 Stephen

 You can send your workplace questions to Stephen at: StephenSays@bellow.press
 
 Questions selected to be answered, will appear in this column. Please use the Subject: Stephen Says for all emails. Stephen Viscusi is a bestselling author, television personality, and CEO of The Viscusi Group, global executive recruiters located in New York. Follow Stephen on Twitter @WorkplaceGuru, Like Stephen on Facebook; and follow him on LinkedIn.