An independent review of Wellington visual effects company Weta Digital uncovered dozens of complaints about bullying and over 100 complaints about inappropriate conduct.
Weta Digital announced an independent review in September after a 1 NEWS investigation revealed dozens of complaints of misconduct at the company.
A 1 NEWS investigation uncovered dozens of complaints of sexual harassment and bullying at the company. (Source: Other)
More than 50 complainants came forward to 1 NEWS with complaints of bullying, harassment and a “toxic” culture, including alleged widespread use of porn in the workplace.
The independent review, led by Miriam Dean QC, found the infamous "porn Friday", which saw explicit content shared on the internal network, "probably ceased in 2014 and definitely ceased by 2018 at the latest".
The investigation was ordered by the owners of the visual effects studio. (Source: Other)
It was considered a "problem of the past."
Dean received 80 complaints from crew about incidents they regarded as bullying, as well as another 120 complaints of inappropriate conduct, either experienced or witnessed by interviewees, going back many years.
It took the form of aggression, passive-aggressive behaviour, withholding relevant workplace information so colleagues wouldn't excel, overloading of work and hazing.
There were also 19 complaints of sexual harassment, dating back to 2001, while Dean found "the gender pay gap is real", with people describing an "old boys' club" with unconscious bias and sexist banter.
Women in production were treated as second-class citizens and those returning from childbirth were given less demanding and lower paying roles.
Dean found despite improvements, policies and processes were not adequate in safeguarding workers, and HR didn't get enough management support and wasn't trusted by workers.
"The company’s culture needs significant improvement, some departments and realms more so than others."
Last month the head of HR Brendan Keys quit.
Dean interviewed over 200 current and former crew over 11 weeks, considered feedback from a survey and considered 35 written statements.
"Weta Digital’s crew love their work and the people there, but they do not all love the culture. The company often asks too much of them, it does not consult them, it does not always treat them – or promote them – fairly and it does not always protect them against poor (sometimes even bad) behaviour by others," Dean wrote.
She has made 17 recommendations including restructuring the executive team, developing a code of conduct and overhauling the workplace culture.
To read Miriam Dean's full Independent Review of Workplace Culture for Weta Digital click here
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