Corrections calls in EY to review sexual harassment processes
Sunday, 7 April 2024
Corrections has launched a review of its handling of complaints of sexual harassment.
Corporate consultancy firm EY will carry out the review.
EY itself has recently gone through a rigorous workplace review which revealed bullying and sexual harassment.
Some former EY staff have told Stuff they are dismayed the company used its own review as part of a “sales pitch” to win the contract.
Corrections’ handling of sexual harassment complaints will be the subject of an internal review carried out by EY, a consultancy firm plagued by similar issues.
It comes after allegations of inappropriate behaviour were made about several of the department’s staff, some of whom held senior positions, a source says.
A document obtained by Stuff shows EY’s review will look at how Corrections prevents sexual harassment in the workplace and its handling of complaints, and make recommendations for change.
It will also include an anonymous staff survey.
The final report will be shared with staff before being made public later this year.
EY itself was the subject of a workplace review by a leading Australian human rights lawyer in July 2023.
It found 15% of EY’s female staff in New Zealand and Australia had been sexually harassed at work in the past five years and that just one in six (17%) of those women had reported the harassment.
Seven months after the review was released, New Zealand chair of EY, Braden Dickson left the company. EY told Stuff Dickson departed over an “historical behavioural matter” but did not go into details.
Stuff reported in March that since the release of the review, a senior employee at EY had been promoted, despite facing a complaint of sexual harassment.
On Wednesday, Corrections deputy chief executive - pae ora (healthy future), Juanita Ryan, said she read the story and had asked EY for an explanation.
“We are awaiting their response.”
Got a tip for us to investigate? Email us securely at investigations@stuff.co.nz
Ryan said Corrections was aware of EY’s own review which was included in their proposal. She said EY was the only contender that met all of Corrections’ requirements.
“EY indicated extensive local psychosocial risk management expertise, in addition to access to international expertise in this area.
“It was also important to us that this review was undertaken with a deep understanding of Te Ao Māori, to ensure that wellbeing is protected and upheld in culturally appropriate ways,” Ryan said.
Despite Corrections signing a contract with EY in February, Stuff understands frontline Corrections staff had not been told of the review’s existence when Stuff asked questions about it.
Ryan said the department had held off telling staff about the review until the appropriate support measures were in place.
Former EY staff are critical of EY running the review and say, instead, it should be devoting its time to creating change closer to home.
“By using [its own review] as a sales tactic it just goes to show that [its] motive remains … money and not the wellbeing of [its] employees, nor clients,” one said.
Another former staffer said she would not have “consented or participated” in the EY review had she known it would be used as part of its proposal to secure the Corrections contract.
“It's disgusting. How much more can they make it about themselves and not the victims?”
The woman said EY’s response to its own review had been to talk about a “sexual harassment Renaissance”. Instead, she said, it should commission a second review to independently verify whether any real change had taken place.
Another former staffer questioned why public money was being spent on EY’s review of Corrections’ processes, given the company’s record.
“I don't think an organisation [which has] created that system for [itself] should be advising anyone on how to deal with complaints of sexual harassment, sexual abuse and sexual assault.”
She described EY’s own process as cruel, confronting and confusing.
“Looking back, I think one of the reasons that sexual harassment persists at EY is that some men in leadership see themselves and their own histories when complaints get raised against their colleagues and so there is possibly a feeling of self-preservation - of not wanting to acknowledge that their colleague's behaviour is wrong, otherwise, they were guilty at some point too.
“And so they preserve the current system as firmly as they can - while issuing carefully worded statements to fend off criticism.”
On Friday, an EY spokesperson said the company had responded to Corrections but said the response would not be made public. They declined to answer questions about what the former staff members thought of EY's involvement in the Corrections review.