Women leaving RTÉ because they feel undervalued or disrespected, report found

There is cynicism among some employees when it comes to management dealing with issues that arise, with many unlikely to raise concerns because of a lack of faith in the process, the report found. Picture: Liam McBurney/PA Wire

Women in RTÉ's current affairs unit do not have the same opportunities as men, with some leaving because of a perceived lack of respect, an external report found.

Employment relations expert firm Resolve Ireland was tasked in late 2021 by RTÉ to examine the current affairs unit consisting of staff from Claire Byrne Live, Prime Time, and RTÉ Investigates.

Resolve Ireland managing director Miriam Maher — who interviewed some 45 employees, about 80% of those invited to participate — also found younger men were far less likely to have any adverse work issues compared to women.

Chances of promotion and further career opportunities were also an issue, while contract renewal worried some employees, the review found.

These issues were not dealt with because of a fear of speaking up, respondents told Ms Maher.

The confidential report, which is heavily redacted in places, found pay reviews largely stopped once people had reached the top of their salary scale.

Cynicism

There is cynicism among some employees when it comes to management dealing with issues that arise, with many unlikely to raise concerns because of a lack of faith in the process, the report found.

Instead, employees are likely to rely on assistance from unions to have issues dealt with.

"A common point of feedback was that if issues weren't dealt with immediately and locally, they often ended up being escalated through the union and processes became protracted and formalised from there on in," Ms Maher wrote in her final analysis to RTÉ's human resources department in March 2022.

A recurring theme is the perception that role changes and key decisions are made behind the scenes with a lack of transparency demonstrated, Ms Maher wrote.

"This appears to have added to the generally held viewpoints about the reasons for the departure of some high-profile leavers from current affairs in recent years," she added.

Women have left because they feel undervalued or disrespected, the report warned.

The imbalance in opportunities was noted by both women and men who spoke to Ms Maher, the report noted.

"It was said the rationale behind decisions made over moves, assignments, and promotions was often unclear," Ms Maher wrote.

However, the report noted RTÉ, on the whole, was a "benevolent and supportive employer, especially when it comes to time off needed for any family or health reasons".