Culture journalist
BbcA small number of BBC stars and managers “behave unacceptably” at work, and the bosses often manage to approach them, revealed a report on the diffuser.
The examination, commissioned by the BBC board of directors following the Huw Edwards scandal, concluded that there is no “toxic” culture widespread, but that there is “a minority of people” whose bad behavior “is not addressed”.
In response, the BBC said that it would present reforms, and its president Samir Shah said that he would draw “a line in the sand”.
He told the presenters: “After today, let me say it clearly, if you think you are too large or too important to live according to the values of this organization, not only are you wrong, but we will discover you.”
Shah, who is chairman of the BBC board of directors, said that the report highlighted “deep problems” and that people who “abuse power or strike or behave bad” do not have their place for society.
These people make life “not only difficult, but sometimes unbearable” for colleagues, he said.
Although most staff members are respectful, he said: “He continues to be pockets in the organization where it is not. There is a minority of people whose behavior is simply not acceptable.
“There are still places where powerful individuals on the screen can abuse this power to make life for their colleagues unbearable.
“The report makes several recommendations that prioritize action on procedural change, and that is exactly true. It also deals with certain deeply rooted problems, for example, the need to ensure that everyone can feel confident and not intimidated to speak.”
The report has heard 2,500 BBC staff and freelancers and has concluded that society has no toxic culture overall and that many workers believe that culture has improved in recent years.
But that found that there was “a minority of people who behave unacceptably and whose behavior is not addressed”.
“These people occupy roles at the same time on and out of the air, dotted from the organization in different functions and departments. They are often in a position where power could be abused,” said the report.
“Even if they are small, their behavior creates large undulations which have a negative impact on the culture and external reputation of the BBC.”
The BBC has shown “an incoherent execution when it comes to managing performance and bad behavior” over the years, he said.
Most of the presenters were “considered good to work and respectful,” added the report.
But the authors heard “well -known names examples not being held to take into account bad behavior”.
The report has not published the names of a person accused of bad behavior, but said that some names of presenters have been mentioned separately by several different employees.
“We have also heard of” untouchables “working behind the camera or the microphone,” he said. “The perception was that senior management would go to poor behavior when the productions were awarded or attracted a general public.”
The report also indicates that it has heard cases of unreasonable behavior of employees to their managers, such as “send abusive emails, behave aggressively during meetings or even make inappropriate comments with which they get out”, and “managers or colleagues should feel capable of intervening”.
The director general of the BBC, Tim Davie, praised the “clear and practical recommendations that we are committed to implementing in Pace”.
BBC reforms include:
- A more robust disciplinary policy
- A reinforced conduct code
- Improved mechanisms so that the staff complains without fear of reprisals
- A campaign “call it” to “promote positive behavior” and allow staff to speak
- A hotline to make complaints
- Updated contracts for new employees “to define clear expectations concerning behavior”
The Secretary of Culture, Lisa Nandy, said: “There is no room for abuse or harassment in a workplace, and BBC staff alongside the public rightly expect the highest standards of its national diffuser.
“I salute the public commitment made by the management of the BBC to act on the conclusions of this report.
“They must now implement an action plan to respond to recommendations without delay. The government considers that it is a moral imperative for the BBC to do things well.”
The Brité radiudiffusion union said that “the commitment to draw a line in the sand should not be an empty promise”.
However, many employees have “a degree of cynicism” on the ability of BBC managers and managers to adopt the necessary change, depending on the report.
The company announced the examination following revelations on Edwards, formerly its presenter of the most senior news, who committed offenses involving images of children’s abuse.
In addition, some BBC staff have accused Edwards of sending them coquential and “arrogant” private messages, and one said that it had been treated “like this god of the news” who was “authorized to feel as if he could get away with anything”.
The new report comes 12 years after a previous examination, made in the wake of the scandal of Jimmy Savile, who suggested that there was “a strong current of fear” at the BBC when solving intimidation problems.
This report revealed that bad behavior seemed to be undisputed by senior executives, some people “considered” untouchable “because of their value perceived for the BBC”.
Last year saw a series of allegations concerning the presenters of the BBC and questions raised on the way in which the company dealt with them.
In January, the BBC apologized to the staff who estimated that they could not speak with concerns concerning the behavior of Russell Brand because he was considered “too influential” and they estimated that he would always get his way and therefore they remained silent “.
Then, in February, the BBC board of directors apologized for “missed opportunities” to fight against “intimidation and misogynistic behavior” of former DJ Radio 1 Tim Westwood.
Jermaine Jenas, who presented the only program and appeared on Match of the Day, was dismissed last summer following complaints concerning workplace.
Gregg Wallace withdrew as a co-host of Masterchef after allegations, including inappropriate sexual comments of 13 people who worked with him, who, according to him, are “not true”.
Two dance professionals strictly come, including Giovanni Pernice, did not return to last year’s series, the BBC confirming some of the complaints against him, but the cleaner of the most serious allegations.
