The misconduct report, conducted by an independent law firm, has now been released in respect of the allegations raised against former Masterchef presenter, Gregg Wallace. The report upholds 45 of the alleged 83 allegations leveled against him. The report in itself isn't the matter that I wish to discuss, however, the timeframe of the alleged behavior is.
The report suggests that 94% of the substantiated claims occurred between 2005 and 2018, with only one further substantiated claim occurring post this time. Let's just stop there for a moment: these incidents occurred over a 13-year period. In addition to this, six allegations were reported to the production company and six were reported to the BBC (four of which had been reported to the production company also). During a prolonged period, incidents occurred. Some of them were reported and yet until 2024, no official action was taken against the presenter. In fact, the report states that allegations, particularly those raised between 2005-2011, were largely dealt with on an informal, case-by-case basis by the production company. No records were kept as to how each matter was dealt with, nor were centralised records held by the BBC.
The report goes on to state that the production company was acquired by another in 2016 and that, since that time, the education, policies, processes and procedures around such matters have been more effective and robust. This is positive, of course. However, I find it interesting that the number of allegations rose significantly when the legal team conducting the investigation opened a dedicated, reporting email which enabled individuals with allegations to contact them in confidence. This is quite something and demonstrates the importance of individuals being able to trust the reporting process and moreover, who they are speaking with.
In my experience, one of the main cornerstones of a safe working culture is honesty and transparency. This may sound simple and trite, but nevertheless, I have found it to be accurate. If people have been adversely affected by workplace behaviour, then one of the key things that needs to be prevalent is that they feel safe to come forward confident and in the fact that they will be heard effectively and that they will be treated respectfully. Unfortunately, there are many incidents across all sectors where this has not been the case and in some instances it still may not be. However, getting this aspect right is key to creating a safer workplace.
In my experience, creating a safe space is in education, making all aware of the standards expected and the processes and procedures to support it. When I say all, I mean the entirety of the organisation, regardless of pay grade or position held, all must be aware of the standards expected and, additionally, this must be upheld at all levels. Alongside this, there needs to be a secure reporting system, where people can raise their concerns safely and effectively. This then needs to be followed up with effective action as required.
Doing one of the above well is a start, but not enough. It has to be an end-to-end product. The process has to be constantly evolving and improving and organisations in all sectors must have the courage of their convictions and see the process through. Failure to do so can lead to inappropriate actions going unchallenged and people feeling unsafe at work. When there is so much expert knowledge available and specialists in this field, it is difficult to comprehend why organisations still find this a difficult issue to resolve.
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