We work to have a happy, healthy and safe working environment for all our staff, artists and beneficiaries, and we state very clearly that bullying and/or harassment of any kind is unacceptable. Our Respect policy, developed collaboratively across the company, sets out clear principles for how we want to work together. It is supported by policies on Bullying and Harassment and Speaking Up (available on request), all of which feature as part of our welcome induction for all new starters.
We have played an active role with colleagues at the Royal Court and across our industry in speaking out against sexual harassment. We supported the Royal Court’s Day of Action in October 2017, co-signed an industry-wide letter, published an opinion piece in the Stage newspaper, and will call out inappropriate behaviour when we see it or are told about it.
We regularly train and remind managers and staff about our policies and their obligations and are developing new training for managers in preventing, identifying and dealing with allegations of sexual harassment at work. We work closely with our recognised trade union colleagues and staff forum representatives to make sure we do not miss any important indicators about unacceptable behaviour and offer an independent Employee Assistance Programme to all our staff as an additional form of support, should they require it. All staff have been invited to talk directly with our HR team, or to named external contacts, if they have any concerns. Any complaint will be listened to thoroughly and sensitively and responded to with the utmost care and a determination to resolve. We want everyone to work in an environment of mutual respect.
