ITV: HR department responded poorly to reports of sexual misconduct at The Voice

The HR department and management of ITV, the production company behind The Voice of Holland, did not respond properly to reports of sexual misconduct behind the scenes of the talent show. Reports sometimes resulted in verbal warnings, but nothing further, law firm Van Doorne concluded after researching the matter, NU.nl reported.

Van Doorne interviewed 62 people and viewed emails and messages from a dataset consisting of over 3 million items. It concluded that ITV and its HR department did not have a complaints system set up, and the business climate wasn’t conducive to victims speaking out.

People didn’t know where to go to report misconduct. They also often didn’t dare do so because they felt unsafe. Employees worked under the impression that management considered transgressive behavior normal and that “complaining” was not appreciated.

When this investigation started, there was some criticism of the choice of Van Doorne to conduct it. ITV hired the law firm, even though abuses within ITV itself were part of the investigation. ITV defended the choice, saying Van Doorne has “extensive experiences” with such investigations.

Victim lawyer Sebas Diekstra previously said that some victims did not talk to Van Doorne because they worried what they said would be passed on to ITV. Earlier this week, the lawyer told NU.nl that ITV never contacted the victims of transgressive behavior at The Voice for the investigation.

Earlier this month, the Public Prosecution Service (OM) announced it would prosecute The Voice coach Ali B and band leader Jeroen Rietbergen for sexual abuse. Ali B is facing prosecution for three sex crimes, one linked to the talent show. Rietbergen is suspected of a sex crime committed around the recording studios of The Voice.