EXCLUSIVE: BBC employees are keeping their jobs even when they have been the subject of an upheld sexual harassment complaint, Deadline can reveal.
The UK national broadcaster upheld five formal sexual harassment grievances in the three years to March 2024, with a further case being partially upheld. Only one employee was fired for wrongdoing during this period, according to figures obtained under a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.
The BBC’s disciplinary record becomes starker when bullying and harassment figures are included. The corporation upheld or partially upheld a total of 39 bullying, harassment, and sexual harassment complaints in the three years to March 2024, but only 13 people faced disciplinary action and one staffer was dismissed.
In short, when a BBC employee successfully complained about the conduct of a colleague, the perpetrators escaped punishment in nearly two-thirds of cases.
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The revelation comes after Deadline reported on Thursday that confidence in complaints procedures has fallen sharply in the past 12 months, according to the BBC staff survey. Only 58% of BBC employees believe bullying or harassment concerns will be dealt with appropriately, which was down six percentage points from 2024. It is the lowest point since 2019.
The FOIA figures raise questions about the BBC’s repeated assertion that it has “zero tolerance” for sexual harassment and bullying. BBC director general Tim Davie and chair Samir Shah said in evidence to lawmakers last month that employees should be ousted if they cross professional boundaries. Davie said no one is “indispensable,” while Shah argued that if powerful figures “misbehave,” they should be “out.”
The reality is that the BBC applies a more nuanced approach to disciplinary measures. BBC management’s position is that all complaints are treated seriously, but disciplinary action varies depending on the circumstances of the case. There are a range of punishments the BBC can enforce, including written warnings, dismissal, and redeployment or demotion. When there is no punishment, the BBC will take other action, including additional training, coaching, and mediation.
The FOIA figures come as the BBC plans to publish a workplace culture review on Monday following a string of scandals regarding the conduct of powerful men, including Russell Brand and Huw Edwards. Brand denies wrongdoing, while Edwards pleaded guilty to accessing child sex abuse images.
The BBC’s last major workplace culture review took place in 2013. Since then, there have been a total of 41 formal sexual harassment cases, an average of nearly four a year. There have been 604 bullying and harassment cases, an average of 55 a year. The BBC is taking an average of 83 days to resolve these grievance processes, which is significantly longer than the target of 30 days set in the 2013 review.
A BBC spokesperson said: “We take all forms of bullying, harassment and misconduct incredibly seriously. If a case is upheld, there are a range of potential sanctions available, including dismissal. These are considered on a case-by-case basis, in line with our policies.
“We want the BBC to be a place where expectations on standards and behaviour are clear; where people feel confident in raising issues or concerns if they do occur; and where swift action will be taken where necessary. That is why we launched the workplace culture review, which will be published shortly.”
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