It has recently come to light that several high-profile television presenters have been accused of inappropriate behaviour in the workplace. The most recent of these scandals, concerning Gregg Wallace, is raising questions about the culture in production companies such as Endemol Shine UK, Banijay, and, by extension, the BBC.
What struck me, reading through the accounts of those who have made allegations against Wallace, was the reason many of them cited for not taking a complaint further, or even making one in the first place. Women relayed that they didn’t feel able to escalate their complaint because they were trying to make headway in their careers; they didn’t want to sabotage their chances of progressing in the industry.
This speaks to a wider issue that I have noticed time and time again in conversations about sexual harassment or assault. Often, it is only once someone is in a relatively powerful position that they feel able to report it. People still working their way up the ladder are made to feel that making an allegation against someone powerful, particularly someone in the television industry, is tantamount to handing in your resignation.
Companies like the BBC need to look, not just into their complaints process, but into the culture that seems to pervade in production companies across the globe. Why do more junior employees feel that they are not entitled to a voice? Why are they, alongside so many others, making people who have been subjected to sexual harassment or abuse feel unable to speak out? It is not enough that these companies ask members of staff whether they want to take a complaint further. This is a societal issue that we all, including production companies, need to be aware of. People who have been subjected to sexual harassment or abuse are made to feel as if they are the perpetrators of a crime. They are painted as difficult, vindictive, even as liars. People who come forward are asked why they didn’t choose to speak up earlier. Or, if they did, why they chose not to escalate their complaint. In short, they are blamed. They are blamed even though reporting sexual harassment or abuse brings on an avalanche that could destroy their careers and personal lives. They are blamed even though they did not commit a crime and are most likely trying to prevent more people from being hurt. Until this culture of blame is dismantled in production companies, people will continue not to make complaints, or not to escalate them, or to only step forward when they have gained the power and autonomy that allows them to do so. I, for one, am tired of hearing about thorough investigations taking place. I need more. I need a campaign which educates workers about the culture of blame that exists in production companies, and society, which prevents people from coming forward. I need apologies, not excuses, and, with them, evidence that change is coming.
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