The BBC has publicly recognised its problems with celebrity power. And that was before the latest outpouring of allegations around Masterchef presenter Gregg Wallace, accused of inappropriate sexual remarks and harassment.
Recent years have seen a range of household names being subject to claims of abuse of their position and power (professional dancers on Strictly Come Dancing), as well as sackings (One Show host Jermaine Jenas) and criminal convictions (news anchor Huw Edwards).
The nature of the BBC’s day-to-day operations involves highly paid stars – referred to as the ‘talent’ – working alongside teams of people in supporting roles. And with this set up tensions around power and the potential for abuse can easily surface. In other words, there’s always the danger that the organisation, and licence fee-payers, have only seen the tip of the iceberg.
With the introduction of the Workers Protection Act in October 2024 and the need to demonstrate protections for staff against sexual harassment, it’s a concern for all employers.
Wallace and workplace investigations
The Wallace situation is an example of the critical importance of workplace investigations: the investigation now underway must be allowed to establish the facts. This includes the role of the employer (the production company in this case, but also the BBC as the public-facing partner involved) and whether they responded appropriately when any complaints were first raised.
An investigation is the opportunity for everyone involved to have their voice heard. So while it’s completely understandable that people’s claims against a celebrity are being shared through the media, it’s also a sign of how they haven’t found other ways to be listened to. Without an independent and confidential process for complainants, there’s now the risk that an investigation and decision panel will be prejudiced.
The BBC updated guidelines on personal relationships at work earlier this year, calling for employees to report evidence of “abuse of power” to senior members of staff (defined as any situation where someone had used their “celebrity status” to coerce people to do things for them). Advice was given on how to spot the signs of “potential grooming”.
“I cannot emphasise enough that I am fully committed to tackling inappropriate or abusive behaviour,” said chair Samir Shah. “Nobody working in the BBC should ever feel fear or worry while working here.”
BBC workplace culture review in 2025
Before the latest furore over Wallace, it was announced there would be another independent review of the whole workplace culture, a follow-up to the Respect at Work Review in 2013, that will report back in 2025.
The focus is due to be on the practical mechanics and impact. The Values and Code of Conduct are in place; employees from top to bottom know what the consequences of inappropriate behaviours will be. But does that mean there’s been a genuine change to the culture, and if not, what needs to be done?
Crackdowns don’t work
Our experience with organisations like the BBC – and the BBC isn’t so different to other large employers where there is always going to be an imbalance in power, between senior and junior staff – is that a blunt ‘crackdown’ on inappropriate behaviours doesn’t work.
In simple terms, you raise the stakes and fewer people feel able to speak up. There’s a reliance on whistleblowers, and whistleblowing feels full of risk and danger. A survey of 2,000 employees in the UK this year by bloomsbury square employment suggested that 51% wouldn’t whistleblow, even if they knew their employer was breaking the law. Furthermore, only 18% were confident they could whistleblow and not lose their job.
As with the case of Gregg Wallace, it’s obvious that people have only come forward because the story was already out there, when there was a strong body of voices and evidence in the public domain that made them feel safer to speak out. Past issues were kept secret until now.
A culture of early resolution
So what’s more important than codes of conduct and pressures to encourage speaking up? There needs to be the right environment for conversations about concerns. A culture of early and informal resolution.
Nothing is going to change the power imbalance: the BBC isn’t going to be a starless community of equals. And under the current proposals and direction of policy, people are going to feel even less safe sticking their neck out, because they know the implications for the accused, and the level of scrutiny on them and their accusations is going to be that much more severe.
What then? The bullying and inappropriate behaviours go underground, morph into other forms, find other outlets. Everyone grits their teeth and smiles that bit harder for the cameras.
Lessons for all employers
There are lessons here for all kinds of employers. In essence, you can only expect people to raise issues in a positive and practical atmosphere of Psychological Safety.
There are key steps to building trust in the options and processes available to employees at every level:
- Create a behavioural framework in which all employees understand and know what is expected of them
- Ensure robust and fair HR investigations are in place when allegations of misconduct are reported (this is going to be an issue for the BBC, which isn’t carrying out its own investigation of the accusations against Gregg Wallace, but allowing this to be done by Wallace’s production company)
- Have a triage process to signpost to informal mediation or other restorative interventions when appropriate, encouraging employees to raise any concerns at an earlier stage and starting conversations that can deal with emerging relationship issues
- Use highly skilled mediators, coaches and trainers when they’re needed to restore relationships, develop emotional intelligence, address unconscious bias and early conflict situations
- Create a ‘Clear Air’ culture, one where people working at all levels feel able to speak up and challenge in positive, constructive ways, because they have been equipped with the skills to have better conversations
