Our people

Strengthening workplace culture whilst transforming the BBC

We have continued to strengthen the BBC as a place where everyone can do their best work, maintaining focus on engagement, culture and the experience of our people during a period of unprecedented leadership change. Participation in the Staff Survey was 70% with overall engagement remaining stable at 63%.

Core cultural indicators – including speaking up, whistleblowing, inclusivity, and open communication – also remained stable, reflecting the resilience of the organisation. Manager support remains strong with 84% of staff reporting that their managers genuinely care about their wellbeing, whilst pride in the BBC remains high at 78%.

Confidence scores have been impacted by several external and internal factors including concerns around the future of the BBC leading up to the Charter renewal process and the departure of executive team members including the Director-General, the CEO of BBC News and Current Affairs and the Chief Content Officer.

Taken together, however, the stability of underlying cultural indicators reflects a resilient organisation that continues to adapt whilst maintaining strong foundations. We remain focused on supporting staff wellbeing, listening closely to feedback and enabling leaders to take clear, targeted and meaningful action.

This year marked the first full year of work following the BBC Board-commissioned Culture Review. We have made substantial progress, prioritising actions to clarify expectations, drive accountability and improve how concerns are raised and addressed. We are on track to deliver all recommendations of the review.

This includes refreshing the Code of Conduct to set clearer behavioural standards, resetting expectations with leaders through ‘Lead from Here’ sessions, strengthening our definition of misconduct; and launching the Call It Out campaign to support colleagues to challenge unacceptable behaviour and recognise positive conduct. We have updated contracts, advanced the establishment of a new Resolution Centre to improve the timeliness and consistency of case handling, and invested in targeted training to support managers in addressing culture and behaviour issues.

These changes are improving clarity and consistency, enabling more timely and transparent handling of concerns, and mark a decisive shift towards a more open, accountable, and confident BBC.

As we move into the next phase, we will continue embedding these changes, with a particular focus on leadership capability, trust and consistent behaviours that bring BBC Values to life in day-to-day practice.

Alongside this, we have continued to modernise and future-proof the way we work, strengthening our audience focus, enhancing efficiency, and delivering strategic workforce changes aligned with our Value for All strategy and our digital-first ambition. A key milestone has been the creation of BBC Media Tech, bringing together Product and Technology teams across the BBC Group to provide a strong foundation for innovation, resilience and responsiveness to changing audience needs. This unified approach across Public Service and Commercial operations enables us to better leverage technology and product capabilities for the benefit of the whole organisation.

Across the BBC, we are redesigning roles, teams and ways of working to ensure we are fit for the future. This includes appointing an AI Innovation and Growth Director to the BBC News Board, establishing specialist teams focused on ethical and agentic AI, and rolling out mandatory AI training to build BBC-wide digital confidence. These changes position us to adopt new technologies safely and effectively whilst enhancing creativity, decision-making and productivity.

In News, we have strengthened international capability by introducing new regional leadership roles and enhancing HR and finance support for our global workforce, alongside standardised global HR policies to improve clarity and consistency.

In Content, we have implemented new production partner standards, participated in CIISA’s (Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority) trailblazer pilots across Blue Peter, Radio 1’s breakfast shows and coverage of the Winter Olympics, and overhauled Audio commissioning processes to ensure consistency and promote respect at work standards.

In Nations, we introduced a new UK-wide TV commissioning model that brings together Nations and Genres teams, combining local expertise with national impact and simplifying the experience for production partners. Our Pathways development programme expanded across all Nations, supporting colleagues from under-represented groups and building on the strong outcomes from the BBC Wales pilot, where almost 80% of participants progressed in their careers.

We have continued to strengthen how we manage performance, ensuring everyone has clear, outcome focused goals and a shared understanding of the behaviours that bring our values to life. Participation in annual performance conversations reached 98.8% demonstrating a strong commitment across teams to development and accountability. The introduction of manager-led assessment has created a clearer link between performance, contribution and pay, further embedding values-driven leadership.

At the same time, we have invested in the systems and processes that underpin the employee experience. We introduced a new Sickness & Health tool for Team Leaders, automated probation alerts to support consistent onboarding for new joiners, and launched a dedicated Respect at Work helpline.

We have also implemented weekly PAYE freelancer payroll for Off-Air colleagues, improving financial accessibility, and streamlined the Personal Interests reporting process achieving 98.2% compliance. Mandatory training compliance rates remain high at 97.8% (as of March 2026). Together, these improvements are making it easier for colleagues to work effectively and are supporting a more efficient, insight-led organisation.

A BBC For All - Ella Leach

Ella is a Level 6 Project Management Degree Apprentice working in Broadcast Technology supporting systems that keep the BBC on-air.

I initially went to university, but realised I wanted a more practical hands-on way to learn that would support my long-term career. My apprenticeship has allowed me to
apply my studies to real projects."

Ella is part of The Tea Factory Technology Delivery Project, supporting the relocation of BBC Birmingham colleagues to Digbeth.

Working in such a dynamic environment has built my confidence, knowledge and technical skills."

Ella also serves as Co‑Chair of the BBC Apprentice Community, the staff network that champions apprentices across the organisation.

It’s a role I’m really passionate about. It allows me to give back to the network that supported me."

Building a workforce representative of our audiences

Our Equality Information Report provides a detailed breakdown of both our staff and freelancer diversity across a range of characteristics.

We remain committed to fostering a culture of belonging that reflects the diversity of the audiences we serve. Our Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging Strategy, which runs to December 2027, continues to guide our work in this area. Over the past year, we have refined our operating model to ensure the right capabilities are in place to deliver our workforce and creative diversity goals and to align with Culture Review recommendations.

We continue to measure progress against our 50:20:14:25 representation goals for gender, ethnicity, disability, and socio-economic background. In 2025/26 we met our goal for gender representation for the second year and increased workforce representation in 3 out of 4 characteristics (gender up 0.1%, ethnicity up 0.1% and disability up 2.6%) despite a period of significant organisational change. Increasing the representation of colleagues from working-class backgrounds will be a key area of focus going forward, alongside continued progress on ethnicity and disability.

Our EXTEND scheme – which ringfences roles for deaf, disabled and neurodivergent candidates – continues to deliver strong results, with 122 colleagues appointed this year. We continue to invest at least £80 million annually in content that meets the BBC’s creative diversity criteria. Our Inclusive Production Principles, approved by Ofcom and published within the refreshed Diversity Commissioning Code of Practice, set out strengthened expectations across areas including inclusive casting and crewing, accessible production environments and industry collaboration and are designed to drive meaningful, long-term industry change.

We have introduced a number of practical initiatives to improve inclusion and address feedback from colleagues. These include the launch of a centralised Workplace Adjustments Service Desk, providing a consistent and streamlined approach to supporting disability-related adjustments.

We launched antisemitism and anti-Jewish racism training, and developed Islamophobia and anti-Muslim hostility training (which launched mid-June), as well as an enhanced induction through the Big Welcome programme and campaigns to improve diversity data completion rates. We have also joined the TV Foundation’s Class Confident Actions pledge as a founding member, working with industry partners to reduce barriers and progress working-class representation.

Our staff networks and community groups continue to play a vital role in building belonging, with a combined membership of over 14,000 across 11 Staff Networks and five Community Groups. These networks have delivered a wide range of events and initiatives throughout the year, supporting connection, representation and inclusion across the BBC.

We continue to attract, develop and retain talented people from across the UK. In 2025/26, we filled 5,010 roles, with 60% filled internally and 40% externally, demonstrating strong internal mobility whilst bringing in new skills and perspectives. Our attraction and outreach strategy reached deeper into communities across the UK, ensuring people from every background can discover careers at the BBC and understand how their skills and potential can thrive here. 

This has also been a record year for apprenticeships. We received over 47,000 applications and welcomed 660 new early careers apprentices. Completion rates remain strong at 93%, with 92% of apprentices reporting satisfaction with their experience. Our early careers apprenticeship programme continues to be highly diverse and is widely recognised across the industry – rising to 27th in the Top 100 Apprentice Employers, winning the Creative, Media and Marketing Employer of the Year at the Multicultural Apprenticeship Awards, and ranked 6th in the Times Top 100 Graduate Employers list.

Pan-BBC – All staff and leadership: 31 March 2026

In addition, we invested in 365 new staff apprentices, including 175 in AI-focused programmes, strengthening our digital and data pipelines. Overall, we exceeded our 1,000 apprentice target, reaching a record peak of 1,200 apprentices in December 2025 across 65 BBC bases.

We have also increased our impact beyond the BBC, placing apprentices with independent production companies, supporting external placements and transferring £1.5 million in Apprenticeship Levy funds to SMEs. Outreach activity has expanded significantly, with visits to over 100 schools and delivery of 30 Get In Taster Days, reaching more than 300 students.

Developing leaders and investing
in skills for the future

Strong, values-driven leadership is central to delivering our ambitions. This year we significantly increased our investment in leadership development to accelerate cultural change and elevate leadership capability at scale. 651 leaders have have completed one of our three Enterprise Leadership Programmes since they were launched.

Our flagship 'Enterprise Unleashed' programme for Senior Leaders showed a 17% uplift in leadership capability, as reported by their Line Managers who responded. For leaders who completed 'Enterprise Connected' and responded between April 2025 and March 2026, the average confidence score in applying their learning was 7.92 out of 10, with 1 being not confident and 10 being confident.

We also expanded development in core capabilities including enterprise leadership, team performance, change leadership, mentoring and high-quality everyday conversations, with 652 leaders participating. 61 leaders received coaching through our internal coaching network, and 469 leaders participated in additional learning to build their coaching capabilities.

The ‘Lead from Here’ programme, developed in response to the Culture Review, has now been completed by 3,526 leaders globally, representing 98.4% of in-scope team leaders. Evaluation shows strong improvements in confidence and capability to role model authentic and respectful leadership, supporting a more consistent approach across the organisation.

At the same time, we have accelerated building the critical skills needed for the future, particularly in AI, digital and data. We delivered a 76% increase in 80/20 career mobility placements, with over 80% focused on digital skills and 68% based outside of London.

In generative AI alone, there were 16,029 training completions, including 4,509 completions of Editorial Policy for AI, enabling the ethical adoption of AI in production areas in line with BBC guidelines.

Our investment is supporting increased weekly use of GenAI tools by colleagues, and this rapid growth in digital confidence is already improving workflows and freeing teams to focus on higher-value creative and editorial work.

The expansion of the Newcastle TechHub has further strengthened our digital capability, building a critical mass of expertise in the North East and demonstrating our commitment to creative and technological growth across
the UK.

Initiatives such as the Hot Shoes career mobility scheme and the introduction of new AI-enabled tools to support career development are making progression more accessible, inclusive and aligned to future skills needs.

Finally, the BBC Academy expanded its role
as a sector-leading training powerhouse, delivering high-impact skills programmes across the UK to support both colleagues and the wider UK creative economy. Programmes such as Verify on Tour, Production Unlocked and Climate Creatives have reached tens of thousands of participants, supporting media literacy, freelancer development and sustainable storytelling.

Looking ahead, as the BBC enters a period of significant transformation, our focus will be on equipping leaders and colleagues to move at pace, building the skills and structures needed for a digital-first BBC, and continuing to strengthen the cultural foundations that have shown resilience this year.

BBC Academy and BBC Studios learning and development

 * Total individual face-to-face, virtual classroom and online completions.

Training data and EFT figures are BBC-wide, including PSB, BBC Studios and other commercial subsidiaries.

** Total BBC Academy and BBC Studios training delivery spend excluding major projects.

*** Total BBC Academy and BBC Studios training delivery spend divided by total EFT.

A BBC For All - Marcus Boothe

Marcus is completing a Level 5 Journalism apprenticeship while working for BBC West in Bristol as a news gallery director and sound engineer. With a background in youth work and community radio he wanted to strengthen his storytelling so he could bridge editorial and technical teams. The apprenticeship has allowed him to learn from experienced journalists, tell multiplatform stories, contribute to daily news, and co‑produce and present a BBC radio show.

I'm particularly drawn to stories that highlight underrepresented communities and explore issues around inequality, culture and social change. I want to give a voice to people who might not otherwise be heard."

Recently shortlisted for Video Journalist of the Year in the NCTJ apprentice awards, Marcus says "I'm proud to have taken this step in my career."

Trade Union engagement

During this past year, we have engaged with the recognised trade unions in a positive and constructive manner, working collaboratively on major change programmes and initiatives affecting our workforce. There has been no industrial action during this period and, where disputes have arisen, we have worked closely with national and local union representatives to resolve matters constructively.

As we face significant challenges and the requirement to deliver savings in the next financial year, we will continue to work closely with the unions to navigate these changes and support our workforce.

Raising a concern at the BBC

The majority of concerns raised by staff will be addressed by our Respect at Work Policy. We have a range of ways that employees and those working with the BBC can raise concerns directly and in confidence via line management, staff networks, trade unions as well as direct to specialist teams via telephone and online submissions.

Whistleblowing allegations, also known as ‘Protected Disclosures’, can be made by anyone with genuine concerns about serious malpractice at the BBC.

Concerns that can be raised via the BBC’s Whistleblowing policy include:

• matters that present a risk of serious harm, financial loss or legal liability on the part of the BBC, or may otherwise bring the BBC into serious disrepute
• malpractice in the affairs of the BBC, including for example, misuse of power and corruption (e.g. nepotism, abuse of an undeclared conflict of interest), and bribery
• serious editorial malpractice (above and beyond normal editorial disagreements) or other acts or omissions amounting to serious professional malpractice
• safeguarding concerns about a child or young person (i.e. a person aged under 18) or a vulnerable adult

The BBC’s Whistleblowing Policy enables the anonymous reporting of serious allegations in an appropriate and effective way, including:

• direct to the BBC Whistleblowing Team via a dedicated mailbox
• via our external independent third-party provider Navex Global, either online or through their dedicated reporting line available in 37 different languages via the Whistleblowing Team
• via the Director Investigations and Whistleblowing
• via the Whistleblowing Champion on the BBC Board Chris Jones

Embedding early, fair and consistent resolution

In addition to the whistleblowing process, there are a number of ways to raise concerns including speaking directly with managers, requesting to resolve matters informally such as mediation or more formal processes such as grievances.

The BBC’s processes and policies are designed to be fair, transparent and consistent. In 2025/26 following a successful pilot, we implemented a ‘Resolution First’ approach designed to provide more support for early-stage conflict resolution and promote fair, safe and inclusive dialogue through mediation, coaching and facilitation.

Strengthening capacity and
improving responsiveness

We are continuing to evolve in line with our obligations under the Worker Protection Act and actions relating to our ongoing review of our processes for continuous improvement.

2025/26 saw an increase in concerns raised, a trend expected following the publication of the Culture Review and the rollout of the Call It Out campaign. In response, we invested in significant additional resources to manage increased case load and progressed work to establish a new Resolution Centre to speed up our ability to conclude cases as quickly as possible, delivering a fair process and appropriate outcomes.

This investment ensures we are better prepared for increased caseloads whilst upholding high standards of timeliness, transparency and professionalism. Looking ahead to 2026/27, we will be introducing changes to how we report internal complaints to ensure greater clarity, alignment and insight across the organisation.

Volume of bullying and harassment grievances

Bullying and harassment

Grievance complaints notified either direct to HR, via a grievance being raised, or via the confidential bullying and harassment helpline.

2025/26

56 formal cases

• 3 sexual harassment
• 53 bullying and harassment
• 29 closed
• 21 ongoing
• 6 withdrawn

Average time to close case: 75 days (calculation based on a seven-day week)

2024/25

46 formal cases

• 1 sexual harassment
• 45 bullying and harassment
• 21 closed
• 23 ongoing
• 2 withdrawn

Average time to close case: 119 days (calculation based on a seven-day week)

Volume of Whistleblowing cases

Whistleblowing cases

Whistleblowing allegations are received either via Navex Global, who manage an independent whistleblowing hotline on our behalf, or via senior management (including a designated non-executive director) or directly to the investigation teams.

2025/26

154 cases were received via the various BBC whistleblowing mechanisms and triaged.

38 (25%) of these disclosures related to external concerns rather than BBC matters. Of the remaining 116 cases, 24 were identified as matters reaching the whistleblowing threshold requiring full WB Investigation and report.

• 16 Whistleblowing Investigation cases were concluded in 2025/26 (including 8 brought forward from 2024/25. This figure includes 4 investigations from 2024/25 that were ultimately consolidated into 1 working Investigation due to linked subject matter.)
• 5 upheld / partially upheld
• 2 unsupported
• 9 not upheld
• 18 ongoing
• Average time to close all cases: 44 days (Calculation based on a seven-day week and include: Whistleblowing Assessment, Triage and Investigation case types)

2024/25

82 cases received via the various BBC whistleblowing mechanisms and triaged, 21 of which were accepted as reaching the whistleblowing threshold.

• 26 whistleblowing cases concluded, (including 18 brought forward from 23/24, of which 3 were brought forward from 22/23)
• 10 (of 26 closed) upheld or partially upheld
• 6 unsupported
• 10 not upheld
• 13 ongoing
• Average time to close case: 113 days (Calculation based on a seven-day week and include: Whistleblowing Assessment, Triage and Investigation case types)

Whistleblowing policy

Whistleblowing is a key mechanism to identify and address potential malpractice. The BBC commits to protect those who raise concerns from unfair treatment as a consequence of speaking up.

There has been an 88% increase in yearly submission figures in 20/26 (154 cases compared to 82 cases submitted in 2024/25.)

The increase in reporting may be attributed to a number of factors, including the impact of ongoing BBC whistleblowing awareness- raising measures, developing societal awareness of whistleblowing and the impact of stories in the media involving the BBC.

A notable development over the financial year has been the increase in non-BBC related whistleblowing case disclosures to the BBC Whistleblowing Team. In 2025/26, 38 such disclosures were received (representing 25% of the 154 total). This is the highest single category of disclosure made to BBC Whistleblowing. Typically, these matters involve people sharing information not directly linked to the BBC, which does not require corporate investigation. Signposting is offered where appropriate. For the next financial year, non-BBC whistleblowing disclosures without aggravating factors will be recorded separately to enhance the relevance of BBC whistleblowing data.

The next most common disclosure case types are Misuse of Power and Corruption (incl. concealing misconduct) accounting for 25 cases (16% of the caseload) and Bullying and Harassment accounting for 19 cases (12% of the caseload). Taken together these two categories account for 44 out of 154 disclosures (29%) and are partly indicative of the Whistleblowing function being used as a safe reporting mechanism, whereby staff make disclosures about personal employment concerns which they do not wish to raise overtly.

After assessment, seven out of these 44 disclosures met the criteria requiring progression to full Whistleblowing Investigations. The others were categorised as Initial Assessment or Triage Investigations. These are targeted responses involving initial investigative action to establish key facts and identify required actions. Triage Investigations are often resolved by the safe sharing of information into the appropriate business area to ensure matters are appropriately resolved.

The average closure time for all whistleblowing cases closed during the relevant period has seen a reduction over the previous 12-month period. Of the 89 cases closed in 2024/25, the average time taken to conclude was 113 days. 147 whistleblowing cases were closed in 2025/26. These were concluded in 44 days on average. This represents a 61% reduction on the previous year in terms of closure times.

There has been ongoing work to streamline processes, identify productivity gains and enhance resilience. This has contributed to the Whistleblowing Team improving performance figures despite the increase in number of cases received.

Fewer disclosures are being made anonymously compared with last year. When compared with 2024/25 there was an approximate 26% drop in anonymous reporting, potentially reflecting confidence in the whistleblowing function’s ability to protect those making disclosures.

A Whistleblower Detriment Monitoring Programme has been designed and is in implementation phase. This process has been supported by the new NED Whistleblowing Champion and will develop the BBC’s capacity to securely and proactively monitor risk of detriment for people who make whistleblowing disclosures. A whistleblower engagement questionnaire is under review for implementation. This will enable the gathering of qualitative and quantitative data about the whistleblowing function.

There has been a full review of whistleblowing investigation processes, templates and reports to streamline triage, improve investigations and enhance outcomes. A working review of the editorial whistleblowing process has been initiated. Independent third-party quality assurance of whistleblowing investigations continues on a quarterly basis, with serious editorial malpractice cases included in the assurance sample. The Whistleblowing Team continues to provide assurance outcomes to the Audit and Risk Committee and to the Editorial Standards Committee to ensure oversight by relevant senior stakeholders.

The Whistleblowing Team has continued to drive strategic initiatives to build awareness, understanding and trust within the BBC, creating new training materials, ongoing internal marketing, delivering content to staff and working with partners in cross-sector initiatives.

The Whistleblowing Team is also a corporate stakeholder in the response to legislative developments around Sexual Harassment and the Worker Protection Act 2024. New training for staff is being designed to reflect the changes and ensure staff are aware and remain protected.