Workplace conflict has been experienced by early a third of creative-industry workers, according to the research

A new report commissioned by the Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority (CIISA) reveals that workplace conflict costs the UK’s creative industries £1.8 billion in lost productivity and growth each year.

The report, called Growth Through Accountability, draws on insight from former UK government specialists as well as expertise from across the UK’s cultural and creative industries.

Although the UK’s creative sector is deemed one of the most renowned within the economy, the new research estimates that nearly a third of the UK’s creative industries’ 2.4 million workers experiences workplace conflict.

The paper also presents findings from new economic modelling that quantifies the “growth gap” – the untapped potential in productivity and economic value that could be unlocked through cultural reform and accountability.

Baroness Helena Kennedy KC LT, CIISA’s chair, said: “This landmark research is important at a time when we know budgets are stretched, making the need for CIISA even more prominent.

“We’re not just talking about harm to individuals — for the first time, we can look deeper into how bullying and harassment, including behaviour of a discriminatory nature, translates into real, measurable economic loss validated by those who work in and across the UK’s creative industries.

“What has been uncovered is stark: the sector is bleeding both talent and productivity because of unresolved conflict and acting as a brake on growth.”

Jen Smith, CEO of CIISA, added: “This report illustrates that bullying and harassment, including behaviour of a discriminatory nature, are current and persistent problems within the creative industries, not only harming our talented workforce but creating a large economic burden for the sector, which could be significantly reduced through prevention and proactive measures, like the very practical support CIISA will offer to both employers and individuals.”

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