British Cycling launches action plan in response to negative survey feedback
British Cycling said it has launched an action plan in response to a survey which found there had been a significant fall in morale among several elite riders, with some reportedly calling the environment “toxic”.
The Times has reported that a confidential survey, funded by UK Sport and conducted by an independent company earlier this year, found a considerable drop in morale amongst riders and performance staff.
According to the Times, one of the lowest-scoring questions related to the effectiveness of the “senior leadership team”. When respondents were asked for words to describe the organisation’s World Class Programme, ‘driven’ was the most common answer, but ‘toxic’ was second alongside ‘supportive’.
The newspaper also reported that 13 of the 41 riders who responded to a question asking whether they had “witnessed or experienced thoughtless, inappropriate, or unacceptable behaviour in the last year” indicated that they had.
Earlier this week, British Cycling’s star sprinter Matt Richardson was withdrawn from the squad for the UCI Track Cycling World Championships, reportedly as the 27-year-old is the subject of an investigation into allegations of using discriminatory language.
Richardson said in a statement that he will “co-operate fully” with the process, and “will do so properly, and appropriately and with contrition for the feelings of anyone who might be affected”.
Responding to the survey, a British Cycling spokesperson said: “The wellbeing of our staff and riders is fundamental to everything we do at British Cycling.
“The Culture Feedback Survey, which has been the subject of recent reports, is independently run to provide a valuable tool to help us learn and improve. The majority of team members say they love their jobs and overall favourability has increased, ranking ‘very good’ in the latest study.
“However, it is important to recognise others want to see improvements, and we are committed to listening and acting on this.
“As a result, the GB Cycling Team has developed an action plan that is being implemented alongside wider work across British Cycling, focused on leadership, development, feedback and wellbeing. UK Sport is aware and supportive of the action we are taking.”
A UK Sport spokesperson said: “It is critical to us that the sports we invest in have a safe, healthy and high performing culture where athlete voice is included in decision making.
“That is why the sports we work with undertake periodic, independent surveys of their athletes and staff within performance programmes to form one part of the assessment of the culture within those environments.
“We have engaged with British Cycling on the findings of their most recent culture survey and are aware of the action plan that they are already implementing to address some of the themes it raised.
“We will continue to work with British Cycling as they embed this plan and ensure their performance culture is of the highest possible standard.”
Published: by Radio NewsHub