In a bid to crack down on harassment and ensure safer working environments in the creative industries, a UK watchdog is setting up a new set of standards and inviting feedback on them over the next two months.

The Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority (CIISA) has opened up a consultation period on a draft proposal that lays out several “minimum standards of behavior” to create an inclusive and welcoming creative arts workplace across sectors like film, TV, music and theater—one that’s free from bullying and discrimination. 

Known as the CIISA Standards, this proposal was led by an advisory committee that met three times this year between July and October. Pact, the BBC, Black Lives in Music, BAFTA, Warner Bros. Discovery and ITV were among the companies represented on the committee. In addition, three October workshops and around 60 meetings with organizations and special interest groups contributed to the draft.

The CIISA Standards document is available at this link, and feedback can be submitted online until January 27, 2025. At the end of the consultation period, CIISA plans to publish a finalized version of its standards in February.

They “provide a framework for a single, unified vision of professional standards of behavior within the creative industries,” CIISA explains. “They aim to illustrate what a safe and inclusive working environment—which treats people with dignity—looks like, and are scalable to any size of organization, production or project.”

As part of its mission, CIISA is expected to begin acting as a harassment resource hub, offering information to individuals or groups seeking advice about possible breaches of standards, explaining people’s rights to anyone who inquires, and offering guidance about how to resolve concerns. It will also lead investigations on behalf of employers, but only at their request. There has been a growing demand in the UK for an org that can look into harassment-related allegations, and the timing of this consultation happens to coincide with claims of inappropriate behavior against MasterChef host Gregg Wallace dominating headlines over the last week. 

In a concerning stat, a recent Bectu survey estimated that 92% of creative workers in the UK have witnessed or experienced workplace bullying or harassment. This June, actors such as Keira Knightley, Naomie Harris, Phoebe Waller Bridge and Cara Delevingne also signed an open letter that called for more funding to support CIISA.

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