Dozens of allegations of sexual harassment, bullying and assault against Department of Social Development staff

Dozens of allegations of assault, intimidation and sexual harassment have been made against Ministry of Social Development staff over the past five years.

Thirty employees of the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) have been charged with assault
and 20 of sexual harassment from January 2017 to September last year.

The data, released to the Herald under the Official Information Act, also shows that 38 reports of bullying were filed against staff during the same period.

A worker, whom the Herald agreed not to name, alleged there was a ‘completely toxic’ culture within the organization and claimed people were ‘terrified’ to speak out . The worker’s bullying complaint was one of 27 unsubstantiated complaints after an investigation.

Of the remaining complaints, one person resigned, two people received final written warnings and two were resolved.

MSD said assault complaints include any form of unwelcome physical contact involving an employee, such as an employee being accused of assault outside the work environment or an incident between employees.

A former worker, who also did not want to be named, said he also complained of bullying but never learned the outcome.

In a statement, MSD People and Capability Deputy Managing Director Stephen Crombie said the organization is continually improving policies and processes to ensure a positive workplace where everyone can feel safe and do the right thing. experience of mana manaaki.

“We let our staff know that we take their well-being seriously and if they are facing inappropriate behavior in the workplace, including bullying, harassment or discrimination, we want them to know. express and be confident that action will be taken.”

He noted that 87 complaints over a five-year period was “relatively small” given that MSD has more than 9,300 employees.

Crombie said a good example of the “robust processes” they put in place was when an external investigator was engaged and an external review following a complaint to the Services Accreditation Agency social/Te Kāhui Kāhu.

“Staff were surveyed in August and the mood was generally positive. In total, 90% of those surveyed agreed with the statement ‘I feel my manager wants me to do their job effectively.’

Of the assault charges across the department, six resulted in resignations, one in dismissal, four in final written warnings, one letter of expectation and three in warning letters.

Seven were unfounded, two were resolved and five were “in progress” with no result.

For the sexual harassment allegations, three accused staff members resigned, three received “first warnings”, five received letters of expectation and one final warning.

Six were unfounded and one was resolved.

MSD noted that last year one complaint involved bullying and sexual harassment, so it was recorded in both datasets.