Do the creative industries need confidential helplines to tackle workplace bullying?
Findings from a survey carried out by the Federation of Entertainment Unions and reported by The Drum were a depressing throw-back to an era that many of us thought were long behind us.
Lorraine Jennings
There have been some positive changes across creative businesses, making advances in tackling workplace bullying and discrimination, however, it’s clear from these findings that some parts of the industry are lagging behind.
Let’s be clear, harassment and bullying of any kind whether overt or otherwise are simply unacceptable in the workplace. Moreover there is a case to be made for businesses to go beyond what is required by legislation. An organisation where the sort of behaviour described in your article is rife will in the longer term fail to attract new recruits and lose valuable talent.
Introducing hotlines as a way of reporting and dealing with incidents clearly has its place and empowers individuals, giving them confidence to come forward. Yet it’s also important to ask what will then be done with the collected information. There is a duty of care to ensure its veracity and that it is used constructively, not just as a stick to beat the organisation but as a means of making real change from top to bottom.
NABS has been around for 100 years and we have run our impartial and confidential Advice Line for 25 years, providing ad and media industry professionals with a broad range of support that covers the spectrum of crisis to practical career-driven advice. And while the service we run is clearly different to the one proposed by the Federation of Entertainment Unions in that it is not used as a means of reporting organisations, it does mean that we are well placed to understand how isolated people can feel in dealing with any workplace issue without an appropriate outlet, a place to go to talk in confidence.
Refreshingly, we see the benefit that talking therapy can have on heated work situations; within a couple of calls, employees and employers alike are equipped with information and the confidence to resolve the situation, without the need to head down a litigious path.
Any strategy that is designed to tackle the issues highlighted in the FEU survey must also focus on making a cultural change that runs throughout the organisation. Education and leadership are key. Employers need to be alert to behaviour that some may find offensive or intimidating. Softer skills such as empathy may also need to be learnt as part of this reform. While putting processes in place that are circulated and enforced amongst staff, including comprehensive grievance and disciplinary policies, will certainly make a difference, an environment of open communication beyond policies needs to be cultivated.
Ultimately what everyone wants is a workplace culture built on value and respect for others, where all staff take a personal responsibility to uphold standards. But most of all where there is a zero tolerance approach to bullying and harassment so it doesn’t become an institutionalised problem.
Lorraine Jennings is head of support at NABS