The BBC will take ‘immediate action’ to improve its workplace culture after publishing an independent review.
Last August, the broadcasting corporation announced the review after newsreader Huw Edwards was asked to return more than £200,000 in salary he received after being arrested for offences of making indecent images of children.
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At the time, the BBC’s board had said it “remained concerned about the potential for inappropriate behaviour, particularly in creative and editorial environments”.
The review was undertaken by management consultancy Change Associates, with the aim of making sure “the consequences of inappropriate behaviour and abuse of power are understood by everyone” and any issues were dealt with promptly.
It found no evidence of a toxic workplace culture, but did highlight a number of key areas of improvement.
There are six key recommendations:
- Resetting behavioural expectations and reinforcing standards for anyone who works with or for the BBC, including freelancers and production companies
- Enabling a “more rounded feedback culture” where employees feel comfortable calling out inappropriate behaviour;
- Producing real-time, visible, accessible culture data to track patterns across the organisation and drive action where needed
- Developing HR, leadership and management capability where the BBC agrees on the leadership skills that matter the most and invests in embedding them
- Reviewing its approach to succession planning and management, creating more transparent opportunities for people to get more on-air experience
- Ensuring there is a swift response to reports of unacceptable and inappropriate behaviour, with “independent audits across all aspects of the case management process”.
The review heard from around 2,500 employees and freelancers through one-to-one meetings, group discussions, a survey and written submissions.
It concluded that while the majority of people who work for the BBC are proud to do so and love their jobs, some staff thought there was a minority of people “who were able to behave unacceptably without it being addressed”.
In the end, it’s quite simple: if you are a person who is prepared to abuse power or punch down or behave badly, there is no place for you at the BBC” – BBC chair, Samir Shah
“Even though they are small in number, their behaviour creates large ripples which negatively impact the BBC’s culture and external reputation,” the report states.
BBC chair Dr Samir Shah said: “There is a minority of people whose behaviour is simply not acceptable. And there are still places where powerful individuals – on and off screen – can abuse that power to make life for their colleagues unbearable.
“The report makes several recommendations that prioritise action over procedural change – which is exactly right. It also addresses some deep-seated issues: for example, the need to make sure everyone can feel confident and not cowed about speaking up.
“I support the idea that we need to reinforce the behavioural expectations and standards we have for everyone who works with or for the BBC.
“In the end, it’s quite simple: if you are a person who is prepared to abuse power or punch down or behave badly, there is no place for you at the BBC.”
Clear and practical
Director-general Tim Davie said the report provided “clear, practical recommendations” that would be implemented at pace.
“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.”
In response to the report, the BBC will launch a refreshed code of conduct, with specific guidance for on-air presenters.
It will also produce a more robust disciplinary policy and roll out a new ‘Call It Out’ campaign to promote positive behaviour.
Production companies will be required to meet Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority (CIISA) industry standards. Such companies can present reputational risk to broadcasters if their “stars” misbehave, as was the case with Masterchef host Gregg Wallace, who was investigated for allegations of inappropriate sexual comments.
Longer-term, the BBC will look at how it manages complaints around behaviour, provide training to managers on the code of conduct and its values, and implement succession planning for its senior on-air roles.
All joiners will receive an in-person induction with a strong emphasis on values and expected behaviours. The BBC will also expand HR support through additional resources.
Ellie Herriot, director and head of training at workplace culture specialists Byrne Dean said the response to the review was positive.
“The BBC is being proactive; they recognise that their culture – specifically how people feel they’re being treated – is a critically important driver of performance, creativity, and productivity. They also recognise that things are better since their last big review in 2013, but that there are still issues and the previous implementation was not fully effective.
“It’s fear that holds people back from speaking up, and the bigger the scandal the more fear there is. All scandals start small, with everyday moments that are noticed by others who think something is not ok but continue walking down the hall; who choose to be silent about poor behaviour. By creating a culture where people call out low-level poor behaviour, there is a lower risk of issues escalating to a big scandal.
“They need to be brave, and focus on how to ensure that ordinary people at the BBC genuinely believe that the organisation and their peers want them to say something when they feel there’s a problem, and that it will be appropriately dealt with. This includes raising the confidence of all people at the BBC to raise issues and talk about them with their colleagues.”
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