The majority of bullying and sexual harassment allegations made against Weta Workshop by a former contractor who worked there between late 2015 and early 2016 were not substantiated by a review.
Ainsley Benefield of Hive delivered her independent review today into the allegations against the company in a social media post from Layna Lazar, who worked there between 16 September 2015 and 25 January 2016.
“The majority of the allegations in the post, including the most serious allegations, were not substantiated or, where factual elements were established, they were found to be reasonable in the context of circumstances that were not described in the post,” Benefield wrote.
The review could not establish whether the touching of the woman on the butt as she leaned over a desk by a male colleague was deliberate or an accident.
Benefield found the touching “was still unwelcome to her, and did have an impact on how she felt at work subsequently”.
The review could also not substantiate an allegation that Weta Workshop swept the woman’s allegation of sexual harassment under the carpet.
It did find that the primary reason for the contractor’s termination was because she was deemed not to have sufficient skills to complete work on the remaining phase of the project.
Lazar told 1 NEWS that she stood by her claims "100 per cent".
Benefield made a number of recommendations to Weta Workshop including a greater focus on harassment and bullying prevention.
The company should also work to establish additional avenues for crew to speak up or seek support, especially where they do not want to make a formal complaint.
The review made little mention of the claims from a number of separate women 1 NEWS spoke to in July. They described the company’s culture as “toxic”.
The Screen Industry Workers Bill would require a clear process for raising issues with bullying and harassment.
Weta Workshop non-executive chair George Hickton said the organisation had taken the issues raised in the complaint extremely seriously.
Hickton said Weta Workshop had recognised the need to improve the way it addresses the matters and has already begun implementing the recommendations in the review.
“Nearly all our management and staff have received training from RespectEd in how to prevent and respond to sexual harassment and bullying. Those that haven’t will receive training in the new year and this training will be ongoing and required for new crew.
“We are implementing a new sexual harassment and bullying prevention policy; appointed peer supporters who can help and be a contact for staff who may have concerns; and have appointed an external mediator available to any crew member who wants to raise a concern or complaint, or who is seeking support for work-related issues."
Weta Workshop co-founders and owners Tania Rodger and Sir Richard Taylor said the company would now focus on people care, as much as its creative efforts.
“We have heard from current and former crew that we can do better in some areas in relation to our management and people care. We will do that with the same energy and focus we bring to our creative efforts,” Rodger said.
A review is ongoing into the culture at Weta Digital, a separate business to Weta Workshop.
Weta Digital announced an independent review in September after a 1 NEWS investigation revealed dozens of complaints of misconduct at the company.
More than 50 current and former Weta Digital staff have come forward to 1 NEWS with complaints of bullying, harassment and a “toxic” culture, including alleged widespread use of porn in the workplace.
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