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Nine’s acting chief executive, Matt Stanton, has assured angry staff the company is committed to sacking or disciplining any employee if ongoing investigations into their workplace conduct are upheld.
The mood in Nine’s broadcast newsrooms is tense, with senior leaders nervous about the outcome of investigations into workplace conduct, well-placed sources not authorised to speak publicly told this masthead.
Stanton said Nine would consider a range of outcomes as an external investigator, Enterprise Investigations, looked into complaints filed in conjunction with the independent Intersection Review, which revealed a widespread culture of bullying, belittling and sexual harassment within Nine.
Nine released a long-awaited cultural review on Thursday afternoon.Credit: Sam Mooy
“If a complaint is upheld, the consequences will be appropriate and proportionate, ranging from counselling, formal disciplinary action, to termination of employment,” he said in an all-staff email on Monday afternoon.
Nine Entertainment’s interim CEO Matt Stanton says the company has partnered with external investigators.Credit: Dominic Lorrimer
The email appears an attempt to appease outraged staff, surprised by Nine’s perceived lack of action in holding people to account, and in Stanton’s words, a response to the “conjecture within and outside Nine” following publication of the 82-page report last week, with further allegations of misconduct being reported overnight.
In a tense all-staff live-stream on Thursday, both Stanton and chair Catherine West failed to mention ongoing investigations into staff, which came as a result of the third-party hotline, YourCall, set up during the review process. Interview participants in the Intersection review were encouraged to file specific complaints through YourCall.
While Stanton did not name the organisation in the staff email on Monday, he confirmed the company had engaged an external partner to help look into issues raised by employees. A source with knowledge of the matter but not authorised to speak publicly told this masthead that Enterprise Investigations was one of a number of external firms and specialists engaged by Nine to deal with different complaints.
“No two cases are the same, and I’m sure you can appreciate these investigations need to be conducted in a manner that follows a just and proper process, which can take time,” Stanton added.