Nine’s bullying and sexual harassment culture is exposed after a review found the company ‘lacked accountability’

Supervisors in Nine’s broadcasting department would belittle, intimidate, pressure and sexually harass employees, and when complaints were made against management, HR would cover them up.

This was the key finding of a review of workplace practices and company culture which found that Nine Entertainment has a systemic problem with abuse of power and authority, bullying, discrimination and sexual harassment.

The review was carried out after allegations of sexual harassment emerged against former Nine Entertainment news boss Darren Wick.

Based on 934 responses from nine employee surveys and 122 in-person interviews and written submissions, the review included confrontational statements about the company’s toxic culture, including a cover-up by HR when complaints were made.

The research, conducted by corporate culture company Intersection, found that the broadcast department had “very high prevalence rates of abuse of power or authority” (62 percent).

“These results paint a picture of an organization where accountability is lacking, where workplace decisions are made based on personal advantages or preferences, and where a person’s role or status can be abused to bully or harass or knock down,” the review says.

“These practices have created an ecosystem of inequality in which low performers are not addressed or are not addressed in real time.”

More than half of all broadcast employees (57 percent) also said they had experienced bullying, discrimination or harassment.

“These behaviors are perpetrated by managers and colleagues alike and often go unaddressed.”

Almost a third of broadcast workers (30 percent) reported sexual harassment, with sexually suggestive comments or jokes and intrusive questions about appearance or personal life being common behaviors.

“Although sexual harassment most commonly occurred in the workplace, social events (where alcohol was present) were found to be a risk factor for sexual harassment,” the research said.

“Known perpetrators of inappropriate behavior in the workplace were not dealt with; rather, employees were warned about interactions with certain people or instructed to avoid contact with them. In other cases, managers have attempted to “cover up” inappropriate behavior in the workplace. Discourage reporting incidents.

“These behaviors come with significant human costs.”

Nine employees who filed complaints say human resources engaged in a “cover-up.”

One employee told the review: “The fear I had before.” [each workday] was exhausting. He [unknown] would humiliate myself in front of everyone else on the team.”

Another said: “I was on ice [by my manager] to talk about a story. Everyone calls it “penalty island.” When I was younger, things like this made me cry. I’m now out of action. I’m exhausted from the games.”

Another said: “I have endured thousands of microaggressions over time. It’s death by a thousand cuts… There was a point where I wanted to kill myself.”

Some gave detailed accounts of sexual harassment: “When I was in there [location] [Individual] tried to take care of me. He also touched my butt at the Christmas party and another time he rubbed my legs under the table. In [location] I’ve seen him do it to other women.

Another said: “It wouldn’t be unusual to be asked or heard, ‘Who did you fuck last night?’ or ‘Someone’s going to get their cock sucked.’

The workers told the review that if they filed complaints, HR would cover up their complaints.

As one employee put it, “We are taught to never go to HR. They are completely on the side of the company. Their attitude is: ‘It’s not our fault this happened’.”

While the review included a detailed look into Nine’s news and news division, it also included results of a company-wide survey.

It found that more than half of respondents had experienced or witnessed abuse of power or authority (52 percent), almost half had experienced bullying, discrimination or harassment (49 percent) and almost a quarter had experienced sexual harassment (24 percent). .

One in six (16 percent) nine employees had experienced all three forms.

Nine apologizes and promises change

The report contains 22 recommendations and the Nine Board is committed to implementing all of them.

“Today is an incredibly difficult day for Nine as we grapple with these findings and reflect on serious cultural issues as an organization,” said Nine chairwoman Catherine West.

“We regret any person who has experienced inappropriate behavior that is not consistent with Nine’s values. On behalf of the board, I apologize unreservedly.”

Matt Stanton, Nine’s acting CEO, said the behavior of Nine employees was “acceptable in any workplace and falls well below what our employees should expect in the work environment”.

“While it is important today that all of us at Nine take a moment to reflect, we also move forward with the determination to do better,” he said.

Intersection director Natasha de Silva said the review’s recommendations were “aimed at building a safe, respectful and inclusive culture at Nine going forward”.