1 week Ago By Max Goldbart
A small number of individuals’ behavior “disproportionately” affects the BBC ‘s culture, morale and reputation, a long-awaited BBC review has found, but it denied the corporation has a culture of toxicity. The Workplace Culture Review said there are a few employees who “behave unacceptably and their behaviour has not always been addressed.” From today, the BBC said it will launch a new code of conduct with specific guidance for on-air presenters, implementing a more robust Disciplinary Policy with updated examples of misconduct and clear consequences and require all TV producers to meet industry standards set out my new, independent anti-bullying body CIISA.
Related Stories UK Presenter Gregg Wallace "Considered Suicide, Following Tidal Wave Of Abuse" After Behavior Complaints BBC Employees Keep Jobs After Sexually Harassing Colleagues It outlined a number of other recommendations including a reset of behavioural expectations, a “call it out” culture to be promoted and the use of “real-time culture data” including, intriguingly, the development of a “dashboard to monitor cultural indicators.” Watch on Deadline The review from Change Associates examined toxicity more broadly following a string of scandals but concluded there was “no evidence of a toxic culture,” which will be of relief to BBC top brass. “The BBC does not have a toxic culture” was highlighted in bold on the first page of the report.
Director General Tim Davie, who has previously called for a “zero tolerance” approach to wrongdoing, said the review’s publication “represents an important moment for the BBC and the wider industry.” He added: “The action we are taking today is designed to change the experience of what it is to be at the BBC for everyone and to ensure the values we all sign up to when we arrive here – the values that, for most of us, are what made us want to come to the BBC in the first place – are lived and championed by the whole organisation each and every day.” The 62-page review has been in the works for months and engaged with a colossal 2,500 BBC employees and freelancers across the UK.
Sparked by Huw Edwards The review was sparked by disgraced ex-news anchor Huw Edwards’ guilty plea. Bullying and misconduct at the BBC had been under the microscope following a series of allegations made against top talent and senior figures including the likes of Russell Brand, Gregg Wallace and our own investigation into Breakfast boss Richard Frediani. While Director General Tim Davie has urged a “zero tolerance” approach, leaked emails from the BBC’s news and content bosses last week exposed a “really concerning” level of confidence over how the corporation handles bullying and harassment complaints, and in its whistleblowing procedures.
We then revealed that BBC employees are keeping their jobs even when they have been the subject of an upheld sexual harassment complaint. Today’s review comes more than a decade after the BBC’s 2013 Respect at Work Review led by barrister Dinah Rose in the wake of the Jimmy Savile allegations. This review resulted in a deluge of complaints about BBC power players from nearly 1,000 staff including allegations of a manager sexting graduates and a female journalist being offered a promotion on the condition of a sexual liaison at her boss’s country cottage.
“A significant proportion of those we spoke with who had worked with the BBC for a while, said that overall, the culture is better than it was in our 2013 review,” said Change Associates in the findings of today’s review..
