The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) has signed a legal agreement with the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) after concerns over a workplace culture which did not adequately protect staff from discrimination and harassment.
The legally binding agreement sets out what the WRU must do over the next year to improve its workplace policies, practices and culture to protect its employees from discrimination and harassment, including sexual harassment.
It comes after an independent review found that aspects of the workplace culture at the WRU were ‘toxic’, and that sexism, racism and homophobia were not adequately challenged. The review also found evidence of bullying and an over-reliance on non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) to prevent employees from sharing their experiences.
Under the terms of the agreement, the WRU has committed to:
- introduce mandatory training on equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) for all employees, board members, management and senior leadership
- introduce mandatory training on harassment and dealing with complaints of sexual harassment for people managers
- work with an external adviser to review and amend its corporate workplace policies, including a specific sexual harassment policy
- introduce a standardised system to record and monitor discrimination and harassment complaints
- review the use of NDAs
- implement all outstanding recommendations from the independent review
Other key actions included as part of the agreement include an EDI delivery plan and five-year strategy, with senior executives having specific EDI-related objectives in their annual performance targets
The WRU people team will launch regular pulse surveys asking employees about diversity and inclusion issues, and will monitor the responses to identify and address any issues.
The actions included in the agreement are designed to be achievable and effective ways to embed the prevention of discrimination and harassment at the WRU. The EHRC will monitor the completion of the actions in the agreement, with many of them already underway.
Baroness Kishwer Falkner, Chairwoman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, said:
Everyone has the right to a workplace where they are free from discrimination and harassment. Employers are responsible for ensuring their policies and practices protect their employees and create a workplace culture where staff can thrive without fear.
As the governing body of Wales’s national sport, the Welsh public rightly expects the highest of standards from the WRU. This legal agreement is an important step in the WRU rebuilding the trust of its staff and the wider nation, and we’re pleased that the WRU has already started to make progress on the actions required.
