The RNLI has been accused of sexism and misogyny for its apparent mishandling of a sexual misconduct allegation against a man in charge of one of its lifeboats.
A staff member in the south-east of England was initially not suspended while being investigated for inappropriate behaviour, which he denies.
Instead, it appears, senior managers at the charity decided to try to mitigate the risk of any further alleged incidents by agreeing to a plan to prevent female staff and volunteers from coming into contact with him.
The plan was not implemented, in part because there were no female crew members employed at the station at the time.
After an investigation, he was given a final written warning earlier this year. He was sacked last week for poor boat maintenance.
The man confirmed he was dismissed for failing to maintain the lifeboat to the required standard. He admitted making a comment that could be “construed as inappropriate”. He added he immediately apologised for the remark.
The RNLI’s handling of the matter has fuelled staff anger about alleged misogyny within the organisation and staff fears about its failure to tackle alleged sexual misconduct.
In a statement, the RNLI confirmed it had dismissed a crew member from the lifeboat station after a “complex investigation process into allegations related to several matters”. It said it could not confirm details because the investigation was subject to an appeal process.
On the proposal to prevent women attending the station, a spokesperson said: “There appears to have been a miscommunication following an initial assessment made in response to an allegation. As is normal practice, a risk assessment was carried out and mitigations put in place but there was no intention to stop women attending the lifeboat station.”
They added: “We are reviewing the processes we’ve undertaken during this investigation and are committed to learning any lessons.”
Senior female staff at the RNLI have privately called for an overhaul of how the charity deals with allegations of sexual misconduct. Managers have been singled out for extra training on the issue.
An RNLI staff survey leaked to the Guardian revealed dozens of complaints about sexism in the organisation, including mishandling allegations of sexual misconduct.
One respondent to the 2022 survey, which was conducted before the allegations made against the man, complained there was a “lack of transparency in dealing with sexual harassment … the issue (which goes all the way up the chain) is brushed under the carpet”.
They added: “The fact that staff (particularly females) are too intimidated to report abuse to their supervisors, the poor communication between HR and the victim resulting in wrong decisions.”
Another complained of “awful misogyny and lack of space to openly call out inappropriate behaviour”. Another said she had been referred to in “sexist terms by males repeatedly”.
Responses to the 2021 survey expressed concern about recriminations against those who call out inappropriate behaviour. One said: “Take bullying and sexism seriously!!!”
An RNLI insider said the charity’s handling of the matter was “consistent with a broader pattern of never directly addressing allegations of misconduct and instead leaning on operation failures – in this case not doing maintenance”.
The RNLI website states that it has a zero-tolerance approach to any breaches of equal and fair treatment to employees.
The insider said: “What happened to zero tolerance?”
In response to concerns expressed in the staff survey, Sue Barnes, the RNLI’s people director, said: “We are sorry to our volunteers and staff who have faced behaviours and actions that no one should have to tolerate. There is no place for misogynistic, sexist and non-inclusive behaviours at the RNLI and we are committed to taking action and tackling such behaviour.
“The RNLI takes allegations and concerns raised by volunteers and staff very seriously and has a process in place to ensure these are heard and investigated. We have a code of conduct which outlines the behaviours and values which we expect our staff and volunteers to adhere to. Where these standards fall short, we will act.
“We know we have more work to do to ensure we become the truly inclusive lifesaving charity we strive to be. This is the right thing to do and is a key commitment for the RNLI.”
