When creative becomes coercive

It’s not uncommon for destructive behaviours such as bullying and sexual harassment to manifest themselves at times of crisis. For instance, organisational changes such as restructuring are known to cause heightened stress and strain within a workforce and to actively promote negative internal relations. In any case sexual harassment and bullying damages people, most particularly it negatively affects self-esteem and confidence, and has been known to cause a range of health problems.

 

At a time of crisis ordinary proceedings may become difficult and often ‘normal’ responses to problems are no longer sufficient. Instead it becomes necessary to think differently and sometimes to experiment with alternative routes to solutions. 

 

 

Power and control are at the centre of both psychological and physical oppression. Rape, domestic abuse, bullying and sexual harassment all have the same root, it’s merely the way this is acted out that differs. Sometimes people who hold power abuse it and sometimes those who are, or feel as if they are, in some way inadequate seek ways to gain more control. Targets of bullying are often competent people who are good at what they do, and it can take some time before they recognise what is happening. 

 

In recent years several prominent people from the world of entertainment and broadcasting have been sanctioned, tried or imprisoned for sexual harassment, assault or rape. In 2013 the BBC was found to have high levels of bullying, and sexual harassment was described as ‘not uncommon’ in the Respect at Work Review.

 

Recently, academic researchers have been looking at museums, which have a growing number of female staff. One American study (Trivedi & Wittman 2018) identified a range of factors that undermine female museum workers and the areas in which their labour is often undervalued, including educational work. 

 

The study reports that undervaluing women can lead to "a spectrum of treatment that can be considered violent.” The researchers consider "pay and benefit disparities, disempowerment, and marginalisation through sexist, homophobic, and transphobic comments and objectification, harassment, threats, verbal, physical, emotional, and financial abuse, and at the far end of the spectrum sexual assault and murder.” The report discusses survey data collected concerning incidences of sexual abuse and harassment experienced by museum workers, in the context of this undervaluing spectrum, to gauge "how much power women and gender non-conforming people have in their daily work lives in museums.”

 

Further research has identified both historic and recent reports of bullying and sexual harassment in cultural organisations in Ireland, France, Germany, Australia, the UK, Asia and North America, to name just a few. The similarity between the nature of these occurrences and the kinds of behaviour identified is not unique to the arts - it follows a familiar pattern that can be seen in almost every employment sector worldwide, as the following examples will show. 

 

 

Individuals and organisations in France have been campaigning against sexual harassment for some time. For many years the culture in France has been deemed to encompass a universal understanding and tolerance of behaviour that is regarded as (acceptable) ‘séduction’ rather than sexual harassment. The implication is that it’s entirely natural that men want to seduce women. This ‘cultural tradition’ has been cited as a major factor in why - despite having laws to deal with sexual harassment that comply with those of other European countries - the implementation of anti-bullying actions and sanctions in France is generally considered to be sluggish at best.

 

Interestingly, in the wake of the international scandal surrounding sexual harassment allegations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, reports of sexual harassment, assault and rape have increased by almost a third in France. The #MeToo campaign was supplemented by the very eloquent #BalanceTonPorc, or "squeal on your pig” movement. Its website allows posts from victims of sexual harassment, aggression and rape, who can anonymously contribute details of their experiences (see Rubin 2017). However there is also some strong opposition to a stricter persecution of sexual harassment, supported by some famous females in the cultural sector such as actresses Brigitte Bardot and Catherine Deneuve. They have argued that everybody interprets "flirting” differently and that many women who had turned "little favours” for their male supervisors to good account would be acting hypocritically to then accuse them of sexual harassment (Pulver 2018).

 

 

The issue that the everyday culture of a particular country or geographical region might affect perceptions of sexual harassment or bullying behaviour is not confined to France. In 2013 Professor Nikos Bozionelos of the Audencia Nantes School of Management co-authored a study to look at whether the country in which a company is operating has an impact on what is deemed to be acceptable workplace behaviour. In a survey of 1,484 white collar workers from 14 different countries the study concluded that "Behaviour that would be seen as acceptable in … New York or London would be seen as bullying in Latin America or Africa” (Amble 2013). Especially respondents in the Confucian Asia region (Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan) were found to have "the highest acceptance rate” of workplace bullying. 

 

 

Berlin has a reputation as a place that values art and artists. However, a recent survey of creative professionals (Brown 2018) revealed not only that artists, especially female artists, earn low levels of pay on average but also that they experience high levels of sexual harassment. The Institute for Strategy Development (IFSE) cooperated with the Professional Association of Visual Artists Berlin (bbk berlin) and released the findings of their study in April 2018. It revealed that one in three female respondents had experienced abuses of power, "and despite the #MeToo movement, few abusers are likely to be named and shamed.”

 

 

In February 2017 media reports emerged of the prevalence of bullying and harassment at the National Museum of Ireland. Accounts from members of staff detailed a host of negative experiences including intimidation by "bullies and perverts.” During assessments, mental health professionals recorded that more than 40 per cent of the Museum’s staff team were at risk from developing anxiety and depression.

 

In November 2018 fresh reports revealed that the case, which had been brought to the High Court, was embroiled in legal issues concerning the Museum’s disciplinary codes of conduct, the terms of the alleged perpetrator’s suspension and counter claims that the allegations were false. Ms Justice Reynolds agreed to an adjournment and the case is due to be heard this year (O’Loughlin 2018).

 

 

London’s Tate Gallery has been embroiled in controversy in two separate incidents, one concerning a prominent donor accused of sexual harassment and the other concerning the gallery chief executive:

 

Three women came forward, following the launch of the #MeToo movement website, to denounce art dealer Anthony d’Offay for sexual harassment and inappropriate behaviour. The incidents reported were alleged to have taken place between 1997 and 2004. Mr d’Offay denies the claims however Tate has suspended its relationship with him until the issue is resolved (Knott 2018).

 

Artist Liv Wynter resigned from the education team at Tate, citing remarks by gallery director Maria Balshaw, which she believed undermined women who are victims of sexual violence. In an interview in The Times newspaper, Balshaw commented on sexual harassment saying "I personally have never suffered any such issues. Then, I wouldn’t. I was raised to be a confident woman who, when I encountered harassment, would say, ‘Please don’t’… or something rather more direct” (Rafferty 2018). Wynter creates work that explicitly reflects the impact of surviving a violent relationship and Balshaw’s comments have been criticised as tantamount to victim-blaming (Kendall Adams 2018).

 

 

Generally, since the initial years of research into workplace bullying there has been something of a sea-change in perceptions of and reactions to bullying, sexual harassment and other ‘inappropriate behaviours’.

 

The #MeToo movement highlights the frequency and ubiquitous nature of sexual harassment in the workplace across every employment sector. The Workplace Bullying Institute provides professional advice and assistance to targets of workplace bullying in the USA, and many countries around the world have similar organisations providing help and resources. The international Everyday Sexism Project reports personal experiences of sexist remarks and behaviours in everyday life across the globe. A quick search online reveals the names of organisations working to combat bullying and sexual harassment within and across national borders.

 

Today there are many active anti-bullying organisations and campaigns around the world. Many of these were cited in my book "Bullying in the Arts” (2011) and their work continues to this day.  

 

Likewise, there is now more advice and information available than ever before about handling bullying behaviour from the point of view of the person being targeted by a bully, of individuals accused of bullying and of those with a duty of care for employees (Quigg 2015). 

 

The latter includes trades unions and employers, and, particularly in the UK, unions operating in the arts and entertainment sectors have embraced the challenge of providing a voice for beleaguered creative individuals in a number of positive ways. This includes publishing guidelines, providing telephone helplines and even appointing staff to help raise awareness among their members and to facilitate procedures to take effective action against perpetrators of bullying and sexual harassment.

 

 

In 1996 Michael J. Sheehan edited the first book about bullying in Australia, "Bullying from Backyard to Boardroom”, and has gone on to make more contributions to research dealing with, among other topics, professionalism in leadership. In my "Handbook of Dealing with Workplace Bullying” Sheehan’s chapter shows positive approaches for leadership intervention in workplace bullying. Essentially, he calls for a shift in thinking about the issue, as after almost thirty years of research and analysis, bullying behaviour has not disappeared from workplaces and there is still a tendency to deny and ignore it among some leaders. 

 

In "How arts organisations are combating sexual harassment in the workplace” (2018), published online in ArtsHub, Brooke Boland draws attention to the approaches being taken by arts organisations to stamp out destructive behaviours. She cites Melbourne Arts Centre and Theatre Network Australia, as two of the organisations that are part of the Respectful Workplace collective. The collective was launched by Creative Victoria and was designed to create safer workplaces for artists by tackling bullying, misconduct and sexual harassment. The strategy focuses on how cultural difference, gender and disability intersect, to ensure that artists with disabilities have their access needs met, that First Nation artists find their cultural safety, that diversity is acknowledged and that there is protection for all genders and sexual orientations.

 

In 2017 Melbourne Arts Centre launched its Wellbeing Collective to encourage safer workplaces. This pilot project was designed to improve mental health support services for arts workers. A feedback loop between both initiatives reflects the importance of collaboration across the sector and emphasises the profound impact of these kinds of negative behaviours on mental wellbeing.

 

 

In response to the accusations of bullying, sexual harassment and assault coming from all parts of the arts and entertainment world, the National Museum of Women in the Arts (Washington DC) staged an unusual exhibition in 2017/18 of works that focus on some of the causes of and potential solutions to the widespread occurrences of violence, specifically against women: "El Tendedero/ The Clothesline Project” was designed by feminist artist Monica Mayer. The installation posed a series of questions about harassment and violence, and participants were invited to respond in their own words, relating personal experiences. The pink papers bearing the answers were pinned on a clothesline for all to view and became the substance of the work (McGlone 2017).

 

 

There are other cultural sector projects in various parts of the world working to combat workplace bullying and harassment. Although there is a greater level of awareness these days, arts managers and governing bodies still have a long way to go before these destructive and inappropriate behaviours are eradicated from all arts workplaces.