Nine issues Action Plan following culture review

200 of Nine’s leaders will be given 1:1 coaching to as part of the company’s Action Plan following a bombshell culture review.

Senior leaders will also have their remuneration and incentives connected to cultural-specific measurements and outcomes.

It follows the damning findings by independent workplace firm, Intersection which uncovered systemic issues with abuse of power and authority, bullying, discrimination and sexual harassment.

The Action Plan, endorsed and released publicly by Nine’s Board, is designed to deliver lasting change and outlines how the 22 recommendations will be sequenced, measured, across People and Culture; Leadership; Policy, Procedures and Governance; and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

Since releasing the Intersection Report in full in October, more than 60 per cent of the recommendations are complete or underway.

Two additional commitments have also been identified and invested in. This includes transitioning to a new, holistic Employee Wellbeing Provider and delivering a new leadership development program.

Nine will also conduct a cultural pulse check in two years, a year ahead of the recommended time frame. A more indepth review will be conducted in three years, in line with the recommendations.

Nine Entertainment Acting CEO Matt Stanton said: “Nine’s Action Plan forms an important part of Nine2028, which is the acceleration of our strategy and encompasses our business and culture transformation. Spearheaded by the Board and management team, everyone at Nine is united by the need for change. The progress made over the past six weeks is reflective of our collective desire to move quickly and build a Nine we can all be proud of.

“Since the release of the Intersection Report, Nine has taken decisive action which will positively contribute to our cultural uplift. We’ve also spent a lot of time connecting and communicating with our people, reflecting on how we can learn from this difficult yet necessary process and make lasting change.

“While our commitments to embedding our Action Plan remain unwavering, our cultural transformation ambitions are broader than the 22 recommendations alone, and indeed broader than Nine itself. Of course, our unrelenting focus remains on addressing Nine’s cultural issues, however there is no denying the prevalence of poor behaviour in the media industry is unacceptable and change is required.

“As the largest employer in the industry we believe we can play an active role in shaping the cultural change required to create a safe, respectful and thriving industry. At the appropriate time, we look forward to engaging with our industry peers to address these issues,” Mr Stanton said.

Nine management will also regularly report to the Board on the progress and outcomes of its Action Plan.