Brown bullying row a bad example to senior leaders

Last post 02-23-2010 2:18 PM by

stephen moreton.

10 replies.

• 02-22-2010 1:56 PM

  MT Joined on 07-07-2009 Posts 1,474	Brown bullying row a bad example to senior leaders Reply Contact Britain's highest-profile leader allegedly drove some of his staff to bullying helplines. Not a great example... Read the whole article.

• 02-22-2010 1:56 PM

  In reply to

  J Potter Joined on 07-07-2009 Posts 162

  RE: Brown bullying row a bad example to senior leaders Reply Contact Until there is firm documented evidence, or a substantiated unfair dismissal claim I doubt this 'claim.' I am no Gordon apologist but this does smack of someone being tarnished and not being in a position to do anything about it. Can we realistically see him suing someone at the mo for defamation of character? Opportunistic PR at the mo I think

• 02-22-2010 1:57 PM

  In reply to

  Harry Thomason Joined on 10-07-2009 Posts 5	RE: Brown bullying row a bad example to senior leaders Reply Contact There are two points here: 1. What is the purpose of a bullying charity if it can't name and shame the bully. What is the charity supposed to do, just council the victim? which doesn't solve anything. 2. If this is the way the Prime Minister respects his own staff, what respect does he have for the rest of us???

• 02-22-2010 3:04 PM

  In reply to

  James Taylor (Web Ed) Joined on 07-07-2009 Posts 264

  RE: Brown bullying row a bad example to senior leaders Reply Contact J - you're absolutely right about the lack of substantiation \(though rawnsley is generally considered to have the best labour contacts of any political journalist). but to us, the issue is how the Government has reacted. the tactic seems to be 'close ranks, deny outright, attempt to undermine credibility of critics' - as opposed to an acknowledgement that this kind of stuff isn't acceptable and a commitment to stamp it out as and when it happens. surely that would be a better example to set? \(and they could still deny that the PM actually did it)

• 02-22-2010 3:37 PM

  In reply to

  Alastair Dryburgh Joined on 07-07-2009 Posts 23	RE: Brown bullying row a bad example to senior leaders Reply Contact I think it's an excellent example for other leaders. Whether or not the allegations are true, it demonstrates that this sort of behaviour will rebound on you. I suspect this news has caused a few chief execs to think again about their behaviour.

• 02-22-2010 3:44 PM

  In reply to

  James Taylor (Web Ed) Joined on 07-07-2009 Posts 264	Re: RE: Brown bullying row a bad example to senior leaders Reply Contact Alastair - yes, agreed - so poor headline writing on my part :) It's the Government's response to the allegations that we've found disappointing - and as such a bad example to other organisations facing bullying claims. The broader story will probably do a great job of highlighting an important issue.

• 02-22-2010 4:03 PM

  In reply to

  stephen moreton Joined on 10-07-2009 Posts 8

  RE: Brown bullying row a bad example to senior leaders Reply Contact Harry, I would expect the answer to point 1 would be found in the vision & mission statements and the key aims of the charity. However none of these appear overtly on the organisation's website so it's hard work out if this strategy is aligned to their core purpose. http://www.nationalbullyinghelpline.co.uk/about.htm However, the website does state "We never share your details with anyone else. All correspondence is confidential." This could be because they don't want those that feel they are being bullied perceiving they may be the victims of a witch-hunt for going to the helpline in the first place. So if their current actions mean that potential victims are less likely to phone the helpline for support, it is likely the organisation's strategy and core purpose are at odds with each other. I suppose one of their Patrons (Cary Cooper CBE) thinks so as he has apparently resigned overt this. It would be interesting to hear their other Patron's viewpoint (Ann Widdecombe MP)...

• 02-22-2010 4:32 PM

  In reply to

  James Taylor (Web Ed) Joined on 07-07-2009 Posts 264

  Re: RE: Brown bullying row a bad example to senior leaders Reply Contact stephen - apparently ann is considering her position i suppose you might argue that this will raise the profile of the helpline in a big way - so their current actions are likely, on balance, to increase calls. and i suppose she might say that her overall purpose of reducing bullying in the workplace is better served by making this a bigger story? (he speculates) do you think people will decide that because the NBH came out publicly in this particular very high-profile instance (albeit in generalities), they'd do the same for their complaint? i'm not sure.. can't help feeling this NBH stuff is a bit of a red herring anyway - the main question is surely whether this stuff is actually true, and what the Government's doing about it either way...

• 02-22-2010 9:55 PM

  In reply to

  stephen moreton Joined on 10-07-2009 Posts 8

  Re: RE: Brown bullying row a bad example to senior leaders Reply Contact I'm not sure the NBH stuff is a red herring - the motivation for bringing this situation about is important. The question of who started it and why are key, and this will help establish where the truth is likely to be. Whether NBH would breach confidence in a complaint is a potential red herring though, as the sorts of individuals that phone these helplines are likely to be nervous and sensitive to the fundamental breach of trust in the 'contract' that disclosure will be confidential. In addition Ann Widdecombe's comments clearly indicate that the charity performs a counselling function, and has I understand resigned her position. As an aside, neither the CEO nor the patrons, under good governance, have the remit to alter the vision or mission of the organisation. Where the Chairman and Trustees are in this situation is very interesting...as is the Charity Commission's summary of the Charity... http://www.scribd.com/doc/27230168/nbh-overview The whole situation is chaotic, although according to Tom Peters, someone is thriving on it...!

• 02-23-2010 1:13 PM

  In reply to

  James Taylor (Web Ed) Joined on 07-07-2009 Posts 264

  Re: RE: Brown bullying row a bad example to senior leaders Reply Contact Stephen - all good points - and I'm sure the NBH will not turn out to be the most reliable of witnesses. All I meant was that the basic issue is whether there was indeed bullying going on at Number Ten, as Rawnsley claims, and what's been done about it. The helpline's intervention has certainly made it a bigger story, but it's been a distraction from that key question. After all, if their motives were dubious, or even if they made it all up, it doesn't disprove the original claims...

• 02-23-2010 2:18 PM

  In reply to

  stephen moreton Joined on 10-07-2009 Posts 8

  RE: Brown bullying row a bad example to senior leaders Reply Contact My key objection to this affair is that there is a media circus insisting on the investigation of something that hasn't been substantiated. MT are not blameless in this with the clever spin on its phraseology in this article to sensationalise the issue whilst keeping a retreat open where they can claim to be technically objective. The result? People don't read MT articles too closely and come up with the sort of statement Harry Tomason made in his 'Point 2'. Everyone's got a book to sell I suppose... ;-)