AFL female staffer was ‘yelling, screaming ... and I was muted’

A new book lays bare AFL House’s questionable workplace culture — as The Australian reveals at least 14 employees have left the code amid bullying claims, including four women who say they have been suicidal.

AFL employees who made bullying claims were offered payouts and required to sign confidentiality deals.

AFL House has a problem with women.

The Australian can reveal at least 14 employees – including one man – have left the AFL House, AFL state bodies and AFL clubs after complaining about bullying, poor behaviour or harassment in the past nine years, with 11 signing confidentiality agreements.

Four women said they have been left feeling “suicidal” after traumatic experiences working in the AFL.

In a statement last night AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan said the organisation did not tolerate bullying or harassment and worked hard to create a respectful and safe workplace.

“Where incidents occur and allegations are found to be true, appropriate action is taken which can — and has — included disciplinary action including termination of employment,” he said.

“If there is a complaint or incident, it is taken seriously and during my time under no circumstances has the AFL ignored or been dismissive of a formal complaint or tried to silence people.

“During my time as CEO, the AFL has never used non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) to try and silence victims or stop complainants from telling their story.

“Like all companies, it is standard practice for all people exiting the AFL via redundancy, termination or mutual separation to sign a Deed of Release that provides closure to all legal matters.

“This is not a barrier to people being able to share their experience and shouldn’t be.”

Alongside The Australian’s investigation, journalist Michael Warner’s new book The Boys’ Club reveals the claims of current and former AFL staff about what they described as an “unsafe” workplace environment.

In the book, one woman says she was locked in an AFL House meeting room by her “ranting”, “angry” male boss. He also threw a pen at her head and she felt compelled to resign from her $52,400-a-year position.

He kept his job despite another employee making a complaint about his bullying behaviour.

The woman confirmed her story to The Australian and added she had been left suffering depression and PTSD and became “suicidal” after her experience working under her male AFL manager.

“I have had moments where I have felt suicidal,” she said. “I was diagnosed with medical anxiety and suffered panic attacks.”

The woman told The Australian she is deeply traumatised by the experience and loss of her “dream job”.

She often won awards for her achievements, bringing in sales totalling to approximately $1.8m, even though her wage paled to that of the AFL’s senior executives who have average earnings of $800,000.

She remains devastated today.

“Even though it’s been years on now it still brings me to tears because it was, you know, like I felt like I felt like I was yelling, screaming and yelling about what was happening to me … and I was muted,” she said. “Like, no one listened to me. Oh, they pretended to. But it was never about me and it really broke my heart for a long time.”

In Warner’s book she says it had been her dream to work at the AFL and recounted one of many bullying incidents in mid-2016.

On that day, she says, her enraged manager marched her into a meeting room on the ground floor of AFL House and shut the door behind them.

“He stood in front of the door holding the handle,” she said. “He wouldn’t allow me to leave. He was angry. Ranting. Out of control, possibly alcohol-affected. He yelled and swore and told me I had no right to tell him what he can and can’t do. His face was red, veins protruded and he was spitting his words. I was intimidated. My heart was thumping, hands shaking and sweating … I asked him four times to please let me out of the room. I kept telling him I felt scared and feared him. I can remember it all so vividly.

“It ruined me. I couldn’t breathe.’

A colleague reported the incident to human resources but the woman said the incident was brushed aside and the male superior went unpunished.

Instead the solution from the meditation was that she would have to meet with her boss every morning.

“I now had to meet this crazy criteria that they had given me and there was no punishment for him whatsoever,” she said.

She received no offer of counselling and became ill with stress and anxiety. The male manager had previously thrown a pen at her head and pursued her into the carpark under AFL House, yelling in anger, she said.

“I felt completely cornered and unsupported,” the woman said. “I was told he had apologised and what more did I expect. I so much loved and enjoyed my role and colleagues and external contacts, but his constant bullying and taking credit for my work and achievements took a mental and physical toll.”

‘When I handed in my resignation, I cried and cried. I didn’t want to leave and the sole reason I was, was to get away from my boss. I told her [a senior manager] I had [worked hard to get into] the AFL industry and she just said, “You know, there are a million other jobs out there.” At that point she shut her diary and walked off.

“I had only approached her in confidence and hope of some solidarity. To no avail. She didn’t even document anything.”

The Boys’ Club by Michael Warner is out now (Hachette, $33)

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Originally published as AFL female staffer was ‘yelling, screaming ... and I was muted’