Britain’s CBI says it hired some ‘culturally toxic’ people

LONDON: The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) hired “culturally toxic” staff with “abhorrent” attitudes towards female colleagues, the business group’s president said on Monday after a review into rape allegations and other serious misconduct.

The CBI - one of Britain’s best known business organisations - has been beset by allegations of serious workplace misconduct since March, which led to the government suspending high-level ties earlier this month and has cast doubt over its future.

The CBI said on Monday it had dismissed a small number of staff who had failed to meet high standards of conduct, but declined to give more details for legal reasons.

A host of major British businesses, including NatWest and John Lewis, quit their membership of the organisation on Friday after the Guardian newspaper reported an alleged rape at one of the trade association’s overseas offices.

The newspaper last month reported on an alleged rape at a CBI staff party in 2019 which is now being investigated by police, as well as accounts of stalking and drug use.

On Friday, the CBI said it was suspending all policy work until June, when it would present plans for internal reform to its members.

Earlier this month the CBI’s board fired its director-general, Tony Danker, over a separate issue - unrelated to the rapes or other more serious allegations - but connected to his personal conduct towards some female staff.

CBI President Brian McBride released a public letter on Monday and part of a report he had commissioned from a law firm, Fox Williams, on changes the CBI needed to make.

McBride said the report had found a number of failings in how the CBI hired and trained staff, and judged that the CBI paid more attention to competence than to behaviour. In cases of sexual harassment, the CBI had sought to smooth over disputes between staff, rather than remove alleged offenders, he said.