Nearly 100 staff at the ABC have reported being sexually harassed at work while a quarter have said they’ve been bullied, according to a shocking new survey.
A total of 745 staff responded to a survey that was conducted by the Australian National University’s Social Research Centre at the request of female workers.
The report found that 13 per cent – 96 employees – had experienced sexual harassment within the past two years, while 29 per cent said they’d been bullied.
The working environment was found to be worse for women who were twice as likely to be bullied and who also made up 90 per cent of those being sexually harassed.
Less than a quarter of respondents who were sexually harassed reported the incident, with many saying it was due to fear it would negatively impact their careers.
Nearly 100 staff at the ABC have reported being sexually harassed at work while a quarter have said they’ve been bullied, according to a shocking new survey (stock image)
ABC managing director David Anderson (pictured) said there needed to be an urgent ‘cultural change’ in the newsroom and told all staff in an email there would be consequences for those behaving in an ‘unacceptable manner’
More than 200 female workers also said they didn’t feel safe at work, the survey found.
While 399 staff said they’d been bullied in the workplace over the past two years, 65 per cent of these did not report it.
The most common forms of bullying reported in the survey were ‘intimidation, belittling and humiliating comments’.
ABC managing director David Anderson said there needed to be an urgent ‘cultural change’ in the newsroom and told all staff in an email there would be consequences for those behaving in an ‘unacceptable manner’.
‘The report findings show that staff in ABC News have experienced bullying and sexual harassment in the workplace during their employment at the ABC,’ Mr Anderson wrote.
‘Bullying and … sexual harassment is unacceptable in any workplace.
‘If anyone doesn’t understand or accept this, then the ABC is not the working environment for them.’
ABC’s news director Justin Stevens echoed Mr Anderson’s concerns and said sexual harassment and bullying simply ‘should not happen’ at the national broadcaster (stock image)
ABC’s news director Justin Stevens echoed Mr Anderson’s concerns and said sexual harassment and bullying simply ‘should not happen’ at the national broadcaster.
‘To those who engage in these behaviours, it is unacceptable and we will not tolerate it,’ he said in an email.
‘Anyone who engages in such behaviour, or who justifies it in any way, is not welcome at the ABC.’
The news director also said the results had also shown that the majority enjoy working at the ABC and had made good friendships during their time.
The broadcaster has set up a portal that allows staff to anonymously report instances of bully and sexual harassment.
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