CBC employees concerned for their ‘psychological health’
Public broadcaster says internal survey results are ‘humbling’ in wake of Ghomeshi scandal
Many employees of Canada’s national broadcaster believe the CBC workplace is psychologically unhealthy and managers do not deal effectively with issues that may threaten or harm them, according to an internal survey carried out following the Jian Ghomeshi scandal.
“Psychological health and care for indi- vidual well-being are significant concerns,” says a report released internally to CBC and obtained by the Star. The results show 43 per cent of survey respondents said they would not describe their workplace as psychologically healthy.
Concerns were also raised by survey respondents over whether the CBC deals effectively with “situations that may threaten or harm employees.” Almost a third (29 per cent) said the CBC does not.
ACBC spokesman said the results of the survey are “humbling.” Chuck Thompson said it “provides a new baseline from which we will address the concerns expressed.”
The survey, which Gallup conducted for CBC last summer, also showed that “pride of association” in the national broadcaster has plummeted from 92 per cent of employees feeling proud to be CBC journalists and support staff in 2012 to 69 per cent in 2015.
Just over one-half of the CBC’s 7,600 full- and part-time employees completed the survey. The questionnaire asked people to answer the questions on a1-5 scale from “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree.”
It was sent out following the Ghomeshi scandal and the report by lawyer Janice Rubin, which found that CBC suffered from a “host culture” that allowed a top talent like the former Q host to get away with harassing behaviour.
The commentary provided along with the survey refers to the Rubin report and states that the CBC’s response to the findings are “in full swing and should help to restore a workplace we can all be proud of.” The commentary said it is important that CBC managers work at “establishing and nurturing strong relationships and healthy and respectful daily interactions.”
The Rubin report investigated Ghomeshi’s workplace behaviour and found that “management knew or ought to have known of this behaviour and conduct and failed to take steps required of it in accordance with its own policies to ensure that the workplace was free from disrespectful and abusive conduct.” The report states “it is our conclusion that CBC management condoned this behaviour.” After the report, CBC brass apologized to staff and to the Canadian public. This survey, the first of its kind since 2012, came after “two challenging years on several fronts,” said CBC spokesman Thompson.
In addition to the Ghomeshi scandal, the public broadcaster has had to face deep cuts to its work force and budget. According to the survey results, “overall satisfaction” in working at the CBC has dropped to 42 per cent of those surveyed feeling satisfied from 69 per cent in 2012.
The survey results were posted on an internal website at CBC in late October by the “senior executive team” led by president Hubert Lacroix, but they have not been available to the public until now.
Some of the questions delved into issues similar to those raised by the Ghomeshi case, where a former producer alleged that her complaints of harassment fell on deaf ears. Twenty-two per cent of those surveyed said they do not believe CBC management “makes efforts to prevent harm to employees.”
When staff were asked whether CBC management would “do what’s right” in a situation where a concern was raised about “ethics and integrity,” 30 per cent said they would not. Asked if CBC management “cares about my overall well-being,” 43 per cent said the organization does not. CBC spokesman Thompson said “psychological health is an issue that affects all workplaces and CBC/Radio-Canada has many resources to help employees deal with stress in every aspect of their lives, including work.”
The commentary attached to the survey results describes a suggested plan to put things right at the broadcaster, including plans to focus on the “strengths and development” of individuals.
“We are committed to doing our part to fostering an environment of renewed trust and support,” the document states.
The first step to improving the situation is to share individual, department by department, results by Nov. 30. That deadline was missed in at least some departments, CBC sources told the Star. CBC spokesman Thompson said there have been conversations about the survey in some departments and others are to come, and “action plans for each manager are in development.”
The Ghomeshi case returns to court on Feb. 1.