BuzzFeed sent this memo to its staff addressing harassment allegations against its employees
- BuzzFeed sent a note to its employees affirming its commitment to fighting sexual harassment following the release of the "Sh---- Media Men" list.
- The company has been investigating allegations of harassment by its employees.
BuzzFeed News sent an internal memo to employees affirming the company's commitment to preventing and stopping sexual harassment after several of its staffers appeared on a Google spreadsheet titled "Sh---- Media Men."
Last week, BuzzFeed published a story about the spreadsheet, which listed allegations raging from verbal and physical harassment to sexual abuse. The allegations were made against individuals from a variety of publications.
The accusations were made anonymously - the list emphasized that the accusations were "allegations and rumors," and that they should be taken with "a grain of salt."
In an internal memo sent to BuzzFeed employees, Chief People Officer Lenke Taylor said the company looks into "all allegations of harassment and related conduct" and acts on them accordingly.
"We are a company that deeply values equality, diversity, and individuality," Taylor wrote in the memo obtained by Business Insider. "We know that we thrive individually and collectively when everyone at BuzzFeed feels safe and respected. We do not tolerate harassment of any kind."
Taylor also said that non-managers will receive "workplace conduct" trainings in the next several months, and that the company had "confidentially investigated and acted on incidents raised in the past."
The memo was released after the company began investigating the anonymous allegations of harassment by its employees.
Read the full memo below:
Dear BuzzFeeders,
I'm reaching out to address the many conversations that are happening in and outside of BuzzFeed about sexual harassment in the workplace, particularly in media.
We are a company that deeply values equality, diversity, and individuality. We know that we thrive individually and collectively when everyone at BuzzFeed feels safe and respected. We do not tolerate harassment of any kind, and we have a set of policies and processes for reporting and responding to misconduct, which I'd like to lay out here.
We look into all allegations of harassment and related conduct, and act on them accordingly. Although the process may vary slightly to comply with local requirements, our US handbook outlines our policy and process starting on page 13. Employees globally can report misconduct to their managers or to HR. If you prefer to stay anonymous, we launched a tip line last year to provide that option. We have confidentially investigated and acted on incidents raised in the past, both via the tip line or to us directly or indirectly.
We also hope you'll take seriously the workplace conduct trainings we provide online and in-person, which took place over the summer for managers in California and are coming up soon for other US managers. Non-managers in the US will receive an invitation from Allison Lucas within the next month to a mandatory online training, and global trainings are coming soon.
We are a stronger and more inclusive company when these issues are raised and acted on. And we want to remind you that you should not hesitate to speak confidentially and without fear of retaliation with your manager, your HRBP, or any team leader you feel comfortable with if you experience employee misconduct of any kind.
Thank you as always for your hard work and your commitment to BuzzFeed.
Best,
Lenke