There is a lot of trouble at Videoland: there is trouble with the series Sleepers and a violent actor has been cast in the new series Rippers. What about Gooische Vrouwen? “You never hear anything.”
No one is surprised: the media pact Respectful Cooperation appears to have no value at all. There is a ruckus at the moment, especially at RTL, and especially at Videoland. There is said to have been a fight on the set of Sleepers, and Rippers has an extremely violent lead actor cast.
Gooische Vrouwen
These riots have brought a lot of attention back to the toxic work culture in the television and film world. “There is often still an ultra-conservative idea that you have a dream job and play in the Champions League,” says researcher Caroline Koetsenruijter, who wrote the book Toxic hassle in the workplace, in The Telegraph.
According to her, the Linda de Mol series Gooische Vrouwen proves that things can be done differently. “You never hear of problems with productions like Gooische Vrouwen and Oogappels. It is precisely in a good, safe working culture that people perform better.”
Toxic atmosphere
What can Videoland employees do who notice a toxic work atmosphere? “Bystanders are partly responsible for maintaining that atmosphere, you can show moral leadership by standing up for others. You can say that you are ashamed of someone’s behavior, that what is being said here is not normal,” says Caroline.
However, that does have consequences. “Unfortunately, in practice you often see that people who come forward encounter bureaucracy, or that they too do not get a promotion or are bullied. The complainant often becomes isolated or suffers reputational damage. But you have to make it clear to each other that you want it to stop.”
