*Discover the progressive, innovative, inspiring, creative, connected, collaborative, ancient, ways we harass and belittle people until they die in The Territory and the unlimited ways we have to bully people with impunity that we want to share with the world. Truly Boundless:
This is who we are:
Boundless Bullies NT
Read the coroner’s damning report here:
https://justice.nt.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/548075/D01782016-Paula-Schubert.pdf
Key points
- Paula Schubert worked for an NT Government Department before she died by suicide
- The NT Coroner has found the Department bullied and concocted a plan to demote her
- The coroner described his findings as a “damming indictment” on the organisation
105. Her employer was aware of those issues in 2014 and took appropriate action to identify how Paula could be supported and in her return to the workplace.
In 2016 her employer took a different course. They showed no empathy and no awareness of appropriate managerial practice. Rather they sought to obtain the agreement of Paula to a temporary demotion.
106. There might be a tendency to wonder how a scheme to demote an employee because of mental health issues could operate in a modern government department. The HR unit should operate to prevent such actions. However, far from counselling against the scheme to demote Paula, HR supported the managers in that endeavour. That is a damning indictment on the organisation.
107. Paula had discussed the financial impact that might have on her. It was clear
that the financial impact would cause anxiety. However, her employer proceeded in a manner that took advantage of Paula’s meekness, willingness to please and fear of being pushed out of her workplace.
108. To do that to any employee would have been insensitive and inappropriate.
Doing so to an employee with 32 years of service and suffering a health episode magnified the inappropriateness of the conduct.
109. The conduct of the managers in holding meetings without providing appropriate information about the agenda, without giving appropriate notice or a reasonable opportunity to have a support person present, the teasing about not being able to afford coffee and the humiliation in front of fellow workers was not reasonable management action. In my opinion it was bullying.
Read the whole terrible story here:
boundless bullying nt 