Country Road Group staff silenced amid sexual harassment, bullying scandal

The boss of Country Road Group’s parent company told staff not to speak out about the the sexual harassment and workplace bullying scandal plaguing the fashion retailer.

Roy Bagattini — chief executive of Country Road Group’s South African-based parent company, Woolworths Holdings — expressed his disappointment in a staff email on Tuesday morning that the scandal had been made public.

It comes after Country Road Group on Monday confirmed to The West Australian that Woolworths Holdings had commissioned an independent investigation after receiving feedback from team members about the handling of their complaints.

The complaints are believed to include allegations of sexual harassment, unwanted touching of female staff, as well as bullying and racism.

“You are no doubt aware that some of our team members have pre-emptively engaged with the media and this has resulted in various speculative news reports,” Mr Bagattini told staff in his email, seen by the Herald Sun.

“The external attention on our company, through these news articles, can be unsettling and comes at a difficult time for yourselves but also for us as a company.”

The findings of the investigation are expected to be shared with staff in June.

“The Country Road Group takes any complaint of harassment, including sexual harassment, very seriously and has a zero-tolerance policy for matters of this nature,” a Country Road Group spokeswoman said on Monday.

“It is critically important to us that our workplace is one where all team members feel safe, valued and included.

“In the interim, we strongly encourage all parties to avoid speculation on outcomes prior to the completion of the independent investigation.”

Country Road Group is comprised of Politix, Witchery, Mimco, Trenery and the eponymous parent.

The retailer also operates its own stores and its collections are also sold in department stores David Jones and rival Myer.