The BBC has acknowledged its celebrity power problems publicly. It was all before the recent allegations against Gregg Wallace, presenter of Masterchef who is accused of making inappropriate sexual remarks .
In recent years, a number of household names have been accused of abusing their power and position (professional dancers in Strictly come Dancing), sacked (One Show presenter Jermaine Jennifers) or convicted of criminal offences (news anchor Huw Edwards).
In the BBC, highly-paid stars are called ‘talents’ and they work alongside people who play supporting roles. This can lead to tensions and abuses of power. There is always the risk that an organisation and its licence fee payers have only seen a small part of the problem.
Employers are concerned about the Workers Protection Act, which will be introduced in October 2024. This act requires employers to protect their staff from sexual harassment.
Wallace workplace investigations
Wallace is a good example of why workplace investigations are so important. The investigation that’s currently underway must allow the facts to be established. The investigation must include the role of the employers (the production company, in this case but also the BBC involved as the public partner) and how they handled the complaints when first raised.
A thorough investigation allows everyone to be heard. While it is completely understandable for people to share their claims against celebrities in the media, this also shows that they haven’t been listened to. There is a risk of bias in an investigation or decision panel without an independent and confidential complaint process.
BBC updated its guidelines on personal relationships in the workplace last year. It asked employees to notify senior staff members of any “abuse” of power (defined as situations where someone used their “celebrity” status to force people to do something for them). The BBC gave advice on how to identify the signs of potential grooming.
Samir Shah ,‘s chairperson, said: “I can’t stress enough how committed I am to combating inappropriate or abusive behavior.” “Nobody at the BBC should feel afraid or worried while they are here.”
BBC Workplace Culture Review in 2025
In 2013, the Review of Respect at Work was conducted. This new review will be completed in 2025.
Focus is to be placed on practical mechanics and impacts. Employees from the top down are aware of the Code of Conduct and Values. Does that mean a real change in culture has occurred? If not, what should be done to make it happen?
Crackdowns don’t work
We have found that an ‘aggressive’ ‘crackdown on inappropriate behavior’ doesn’t work with large organisations such as the BBC.
You raise the stakes, and less people feel comfortable speaking up. Whistleblowing is seen as a risky and dangerous activity. Bloomsbury Square Employment conducted a survey in the UK of 2,000 employees this year. The results showed that 51% would not whistleblow even if their employer broke the law. Only 18% of employees felt confident that they could blow the whistle without losing their job.
In the case of Gregg Wallace it is obvious that people only came forward when the story had already been published, and there were many voices and proofs in the public domain, which made them feel more comfortable to speak up. The past issues have been kept secret up until now.
A culture that encourages early resolution
What’s more important to encourage people to speak up than codes of conduct or pressures? It is important to create the right atmosphere for open conversations. Early and informal resolution is encouraged.
The BBC will never be a community of equals without stars. Under the current policy and proposals, people will feel less comfortable speaking out because they are aware of the consequences for those accused and that the scrutiny of their claims and accusations will be much greater.
What happens next? Bullying and inappropriate behavior go underground, change into another form, or find new outlets. Everyone smiles and grits teeth for the camera.
Lessons to all Employers
All employers can learn from this. You can expect that people will raise issues only in an atmosphere of Psychological safety.
The key to building trust is to make sure that employees are aware of the choices and processes they have available.
- Create a framework for behaviour that ensures all employees know and understand what is expected from them
- When allegations of misconduct are made, ensure that robust and fair HR investigation is conducted (this will be a problem for the BBC as it is not conducting its own investigation into the accusations against Gregg Wallace but is letting Wallace’s production firm do this).
- Encourage employees to voice their concerns earlier and start conversations to address emerging relationship issues.
- When you need to repair relationships, develop emotional Intelligence, address unconscious bias, and early conflict situations, use highly-skilled mediators, coaches, and trainers.
- Create a culture of ‘Clear Air,’ where employees at all levels are empowered to challenge and speak out in a positive way, as they now have the tools to better communicate.
