WRU staff safer after culture changes, says watchdog

Rugby players, coaches and staff are now safer working at the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) after changes were made following “toxic” culture findings, according to an equality watchdog.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) said the union had “put in the hard yards” and made improvements to the way it handled harassment and discrimination.

A BBC Wales Investigates programme in 2023, external uncovered allegations of sexism and misogyny at the WRU, prompting an independent investigation which backed up the claims.

The WRU said it had “introduced a series of proactive measures” to improve its culture.

An independent review in 2023 found aspects of the culture at the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) were sexist, misogynistic, racist and homophobic – and not properly challenged.

Some employees described the workplace as “toxic”.

The organisation apologised at the time, external, saying it was “truly sorry” to those affected.

The investigation uncovered allegations of sexism and misogyny, with one former Welsh women’s rugby manager, Charlotte Wathan revealing a colleague had said he had wanted to “rape” her.

Wathan and another female colleague said they had considered suicide due to what they described as a “toxic culture” of sexism at the WRU.

A week after the programme was shown, former WRU chief executive Steve Phillips resigned with a pay-off of £480,000, with Nigel Walker taking over the interim position.

Mary-Ann Stephenson, chairwoman of the EHRC, said: “We signed this agreement with the Welsh Rugby Union to tackle a workplace culture which was ‘toxic’ for a significant number of employees, according to an independent review.

“Since then, the WRU have put in the hard yards to make sure the organisation is a safer place to work. There are now better procedures in place to protect staff from harassment and discrimination, and much more effective ways for staff to raise concerns in the first place.

“By law, employers must take reasonable steps to protect their staff from sexual harassment and discrimination. We will not hesitate to act where we see organisations failing to uphold their duties under the Equality Act.”

The EHRC said the improvements made included:

It added it had ended its legally-binding agreement with the WRU because of the progress the union had made.

Speaking to Radio Wales Breakfast, Lydia Stirling, chief people officer for the WRU said an “incredible amount” of work had taken place in the last three years, with protocols and guidance implemented to improve the culture.

She said: “We’ve been actively promoting our whistleblowing policy. We have regular engagement surveys that we do with our teams as well.

“We’ve introduced an EDI advisory group. We have mandatory training that we’ve enhanced as well and better and more detailed reporting on our complaints.”

She said that when complaints are received, they are assessed and may be handled informally, through formal procedures, or by independent investigators where appropriate.

“Thankfully there aren’t a huge amount [of complaints], which is reassuring,” she said.

Speaking on the EHRC verdict, Stirling said it was “great” for the WRU, saying it “shows that we’ve put in the hard work”.