As Bell Media undergoes an independent workplace review following the dismissal of Lisa LaFlamme as CTV National News‘ chief anchor, one corporate governance expert cautions the move doesn’t guarantee change.
Richard Leblanc, professor of governance and law at York University, doesn’t believe this is a public relations stunt, but says it is possible that Bell Media or any company for that matter can “stifle the process,” in turn rendering the review pointless.
He also says that employees should be encouraged to participate in the confidential interviews and that the third party doing the review should make it easy for employees to come forward.
In a social media post Friday, the CEO of BCE Inc., the parent company of Bell Media, said an independent review involving “confidential interviews with all newsroom employees who choose to participate” is underway.
Mirko Bibic said Bell Media’s vice-president of news, Michael Melling, has been the subject of “various allegations” and is on leave pending the outcome of the workplace review.
Leblanc says for the review to be effective, transparency is imperative, which includes presenting the findings and conclusions to employees at the end of the process.