Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing
(A very interesting article was shared with us. I felt that it should be shared on the Change.org page, DeeAnnspeaks in our updates and through various media outlets and social media pages.
If you would be so kind and take a few moments to read the article that was published on the Scottish Government website. This update is a little lengthy but worth the read.
On the 18th November 2020 Lyndsey Cairns, deputy head of the human resources department within the Scottish Government published an article for Anti-Bullying Week 2020. Lyndsey Cairns has played a vital role in the ill treatment of our sister and is a part of the mob bullying that DeeAnn is still experiencing to this day. We and many other individuals within the Scottish Government know that this article published by Lyndsey Cairns is an attempt to try and restore faith in the human resources team. Wolves in sheep’s clothing comes to mind when I read her article.)
When you read this update the response from the Fitzpatrick family will be in brackets () .
Anti-Bullying Week 2020
Published 18/11/2020
This week is Anti-Bullying Week – a time to reflect on inclusivity and the personal steps we can all take to ensure everyone in the Scottish Government feels a sense of belonging. (Our sister was victim to bullying the very first week within her workplace. She was a fishery officer and had to desk share. She arrived at work to find her items thrown in a garbage bin and she was told to keep her f***ing sh** off his desk. Her fellow colleagues told her that she was not wanted because she was foreign and a woman. Where is the sense of inclusivity and a sense of belonging?)
Lyndsey Cairns, from People Directorate, spoke to Saltire News about the opportunity Anti-Bullying Week gives us to take action.
"We all want to work in a safe environment where we can be ourselves; one that fosters inclusivity and ensures everyone has a sense of belonging, and where we can feel confident in raising concerns, knowing they'll be heard," Lyndsey said. (DeeAnn, a foreign woman was not allowed to be herself. She was told to learn how to speak properly and she would never be accepted. They made fun of her appearance and she was assaulted when her co-workers became aware that she had raised the inappropriate behaviours with human resources. When she reported wrong doing to the human resources team, Carol Heatlie referred to her as a serial complainer. Our sister and two other employees witnessed a male colleague attempt to punch a female worker in the back of the head as she walked away from him. We don’t call that a serial complainer. We call that someone who can identify what is acceptable within a workplace and someone who cares.)
"Anti-Bullying Week is an opportunity to look at our own actions and the effect they can have on those around us. (DeeAnn was made to feel that everything was her fault and that she deserved how she was treated. She could not change them but she could change the way she dealt with them and by standing up for herself and challenge their behaviour. This caused her to suffer from repercussions. Her direct line management team, which involved 3 male senior managers who began to keep a secret diary. They kept note of issues that they would later use to have DeeAnn disciplined. Line managers are meant to deal with any issues when and where they occur. This is what makes a good line manager. DeeAnn’s managers were sharing malicious emails between the three of them. They were gossiping about her personal life that had absolutely nothing to do with her job. They asked her colleagues to secretly record DeeAnn and try to lead her into a conversation that could be used against her. They trolled through her personal emails. They shared private and confidential medical information about DeeAnn that was made known to them by the human resources. They discussed making an anonymous malicious call to the police so they would hassle DeeAnn. The line manager whom DeeAnn spoke to about being restrained, heard DeeAnn’s male colleague call her a fu**ing reta*d. Instead of him taking disciplinary action, he warned the male colleague who verbally abused DeeAnn, to make sure that the next time he used that language towards her that no one could hear it.)
"While we all continue to work from home, supporting each other to do all we can to help create a more open, inclusive and fairer environment for everyone is vital. Our connections to others are different to how they were this time last year, and we must all strive to treat everyone with kindness, dignity and compassion - key values at the heart of the National Performance Framework. (Our sister has PTSD and suffers from depression because of the years of abuse she suffered while working for Marine Scotland Compliance. Covid 19 is killing people all around the world. Every country is taking precautions. Scotland was no different. The 24th March 2020 a speech given the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon to the Scottish Parliament that Scotland was now effectively in lockdown. The First Minister of Scotland took Covid 19 seriously and put Scotland into lockdown for the safety of her people.)
(The 26th March 2020 Judith Mckinnon and Lyndsey Cairns instructed David Torz and one other person to travel a 600 return journey, in the same vehicle from Edinburgh to Caithness to our sister’s home to deliver a document that was later sent by email. There was total disregard for the health and safety of our sister and putting a lot of other people’s health at risk if they did stop for breaks during the journey.)
"We know this year has been exceptionally tough, and dealing with difficult or sensitive conversations virtually can be a challenge. I'd encourage anyone in this position to take a look at the communicating virtually sessions available on Saltire. The People Advice and Wellbeing team are around to help anyone who feels that they may need extra support or advice. (Our sister was denied a fair and just hearing for her disciplinary. One of the many disciplinary that the Scottish Government had raised against her. They sought occupational health advice to ensure that they stopped DeeAnn from returning to work after long-term sick leave and to stop her pay. Then they sought occupational health advice again about carrying out a disciplinary hearing. The same occupational health advised against going ahead with the disciplinary hearing and waiting until DeeAnn was well enough to attend. Lyndsey Cairns and Judith Mckinnon ignored their own occupational health advice and proceeded with the disciplinary hearing and dismissed DeeAnn in her and her trade unions absence. Now they are discriminating against our sister who has a disability for her appeal hearing.)
"I'd also encourage everyone to use this Anti-Bullying Week to help foster the kind of organisation you want to work in – the steps below are a good starting point." (DeeAnn’s only goal was to be able to go to work in a safe work environment.)
Building an inclusive environment free from bullying and harassment is up to everyone. Here are some ways you can help:
Be kind to yourself, as well as others. You can find lots of resources, advice and tips on how to ensure you're looking after yourself here, and more about kindness here. (DeeAnn always went out of her way for her colleagues and made sure that each and every one was included in everything. She gave support to those, where, I myself would not have done. Even when she was assaulted she took pity on the men involved because they had pets that no one else was willing to look after. She purchased beauty care products for another man for his wife for Christmas and had them wrapped in a large basket. DeeAnn always thought of and put others first, no matter who good or bad.)
Talk to your colleagues about inclusion: what does it mean for you, and how can you help make work a place where people feel valued, respected, and can be themselves? (DeeAnn tried on many occasions to reach out to her line manger to ask for help and was ignored. She then reached out to her counter signing officer to ask for assistance in improving the working relationship but instead it was used as a disciplinary matter against her. She offered mediation and it was refused. She put herself forward for various training exercises to have inclusion but was always rejected from the list.)
Join a staff network – with Yammer back up and running there are dozens of networks to join, allowing colleagues to see a wider spectrum of opinions and voices (Members of staff, i.e. Kevin Kelly a senior fishery officer was advised by a senior business manager that he should not be seen associating with DeeAnn. Many other staff members were told the same thing about DeeAnn but after spending time working with her they realised that these stories were malicious and used to discredit DeeAnn.)
Become a mentor or mentee – this is a great way of forming new connections and learning from others. (DeeAnn had tried on many occasions to engage with other members of staff to acquire their knowledge that was a valuable tool for the job. Other members of staff were granted this privilege but was denied to our sister. DeeAnn engaged in a bullying and harassment group and suggested bullying champions but this was refused by human resources and senior management. Any attempt that DeeAnn made to address bullying was knocked down in flames.)
Make sure all your team meetings are as inclusive as possible – think about how you conduct your Skype or Teams meeting, ensuring everyone has the chance to make their voice heard. Read more about inclusive meetings here. (DeeAnn was never given the pleasure of team meetings. Team meetings happened in other offices that were in her line manager’s district. DeeAnn’s quarterly and yearly reviews were not done face to face as other senior officers in the district. Other senior officers noticed and stated that DeeAnn was treated differently.)
Speak up if you see or experience unacceptable behaviours at the earliest opportunity or seek support and advice if you feel unable to. It's best to tackle concerns early on and in some circumstances the person may be unaware of their impact and drawing attention to this may be enough. It is unacceptable for anyone to experience bullying - we will support staff and take action to tackle bullying or harassment if it arises. (DeeAnn raised her concerns about some of her male colleagues within the very first few months. DeeAnn witnessed sexual harassment, verbal harassment and misuse of company property. She witnessed male colleagues saluting Hitler and mocking the Jewish people, drinking alcohol during a shift and being on shift intoxicated and high. Male colleagues called women who*es. Black people were called the N word and told that they should not be allowed to reproduce and they should be murdered. Any person with dark skin should have their throat cut. Men were viewing pornographic material in the office. Pornographic pictures were placed on the wall. DeeAnn was threatened that she would be punched in the face and told that she would be taken to the back car park where she would be beaten. She witnessed male colleagues falsify overtime claims. Yet she was scrutinised for a time in lieu claim and was going to face disciplinary action. DeeAnn suffered a miscarriage and her male colleagues mocked her. They told her that they should have a miscarriage and take six months off work. DeeAnn brought this to the senior manager’s attention that the claim that they were trying to discipline her for belonged to another officer because his name was on the top of the document. DeeAnn witnessed a male colleague who attempt to punch a female in the back of the head. DeeAnn was assaulted by being restrained, taped to a chair and gagged.)
Unions also play an important role in supporting their members through these very difficult experiences, which can have a lasting effect if not dealt with appropriately. They provide a safe space for members, advice and support. The Scottish Government unions work in partnership with HR and are at the forefront of policy development. (Initially this message put on Saltire by Lyndsay Cairns did not include anything about the unions. DeeAnn was told by her counter signing officer that she should not involve the union because that would go in her favour. We advised DeeAnn never meet with anyone without the union because they are the ones who will support you.)
Finally, use the upcoming People Survey results to inform discussions with your team and colleagues. Look out on Saltire for more on that in the coming months. (We have knowledge that the bullying rates in the people surveys over the years has been tremendous. The biggest thing that has always came out of the surveys was that members did not feel safe enough to raise issues with the human resources or their managers in fear of repercussion.)
(On many occasions people, such as Lyndsey Cairns, attempt to take advantage of a theme or project that is meant for the health and safety of government workers. Many comments were deleted in the feedback to the Anti-Bullying Week 2020 post. Lyndsey Cairns intention was to paint herself in a good light when she is a hypocrite. She and many other human resources staff are out for themselves. The human resources team are being instructed by a civil servant in the legal directorate of the Scottish Government to find anything on an individual so that they can be dismissed. This legal advisor is making it personal and he is destroying people’s lives because they stand up for themselves, challenge inappropriate behaviour and they may disagree with senior managers.)
(The same people; Permanent Secretary Lesley Evans, Nicola Richards, Barbara Allison, Judith Mckinnon, Lyndsey Cairns, Susie Macdonald, Karen Hay, Carol Heatlie (trolled through many staff members emails to seek evidence to carry out disciplinary action), June Culpan (both investigator and deciding officer for disciplinary cases, sharing confidential emails with the bullies of the complainants) and Kerry Marshall (trolled through staff members emails with their trade union representatives) have made a mockery of the entire human resources department within the Scottish Government. They cannot be trusted and they are corrupt. A committee has been established to review a recent case into the handling of harassment case against the former First Minister, Alex Salmond. This legal case cost the people in Scotland over a half of million Sterling due to Judith Mckinnon taking legal advice that was tainted biased. This legal advisor has a lot to answer to. A total overhaul has to be done with the entirety of the human resources department. If the last few years are anything to go by, they have a long way to go.)
(Only one incident was ever investigated and that is because it was reported in the newspapers. We will keep this campaign going until the First Minister speaks with DeeAnn and justice is done.)
(Many comments were given by different people below as feedback but you will read that they have been deleted. The purpose of having an open forum is to allow feedback so that you can learn from this. It is obvious that the human resources do not like constructive criticism.)
Saltire comments are monitored and are expected to conform with the Scottish Government comments and moderation policy and Civil Service Code.
Find out more
· Read about the Fairness at Work policy
· Find out how to raise a concern
· Read about our counselling and wellbeing services
· The Scottish Government recognises five trade unions for collective bargaining and employee relations. The five unions working together on common issues are collectively known as the Council of Scottish Government Unions (CSGU). Find out more about the CSGU.
· Find out more about the help available from the civil service unions on the PCS website, FDA website, Prospect website, Unite the Union website and Nautilus International website
Order by:
·
Dryden J (Jim)
24/11/2020 11:35
2
Another blog from this morning removed for challenging remarks I presume.
Response to my blog of last night being removed very clearly states 'After careful consideration, we have found that the comment breaches the comment and moderation policy and it has been removed.' It would be nice if they had told me which part of the policy in particular.
DGs welcomed comments on Saltire a few weeks ago, Ken Thomson in particular. It's a shame they don't get to see the comments that challenge.
Can't help thinking anti-bullying is about other people and organisations?
Reply
Report
·
Corporate Communications
24/11/2020 09:27
This comment is currently under review
· Cairns L (Lyndsey)
23/11/2020 17:26
6
Thanks to everyone who has commented on this article so far. One of the reasons why the list of actions is so varied is because we know that positive working environments can make unacceptable behaviour less likely to occur, or be accepted. However, where it does occur, and bullying is experienced, it can have a devastating effect - for that reason we have a number of people you can speak with as mentioned above, including trade unions if you are a member. I appreciate a few colleagues have shared their experiences, and I hope they have felt able to speak to someone for support.
Our experiences over the years tell us that in cases where bullying is an issue, everyone involved has very strong views and certain expectations of what they want to happen. Unfortunately it does not always turn out as people had hoped which can in turn reinforce negative feelings about the situation, people’s experience, relationships at work and anyone involved in the process.
There’s been a comment about HR specifically and so I thought it worth touching on our role here - and also take the opportunity to highlight that we are employees and colleagues too. Where concerns are raised with us we will work with individuals to take informal action where appropriate, and whilst our emphasis is on informal resolution where possible that doesn’t mean we take allegations any less seriously. We know from research and our involvement in supporting staff, that the informal route is the route that allows concerns to be addressed at the earliest stage and before relationships break down. We’re here to provide a professional and supportive service and are keen that people feel able to engage. If you have any queries then please feel free to get in touch.
Reply
Report
o
Corporate Communications
23/11/2020 18:25
This comment is currently under review
o
Dryden J (Jim)
24/11/2020 12:31
0
Not sure how long this post will last but just noted from when I first read Lyndsey's blog a trade unions reference has now been added. Well done for noting your error.
Report
·
23/11/2020 13:51
15
Our workplace has let a bullying culture become accepted in recent years. Year after Year the staff survey will show this. Not sure how this can be addressed. I've only been subject a couple of times to unacceptable behaviour and don't worry too much about it, but I'm aware of quite a number of others who have suffered. Hopefully the future is brighter.
Reply
Report
23/11/2020 09:27
7
Given the recent publicity about bullying by UK ministers, it would be really good to hear the views of Scottish Ministers.
Reply
Report
·
Dryden J (Jim)
20/11/2020 18:46
26
How ironic, given the nature of this subject of anti bullying, my personal views have been removed because after a complaint the moderation team have found that the comment is innacurate and likely to mislead others.
That being the case here is a revise.
This helpful article and discussion barely scratches the surface of this wide ranging problem I'm afraid. So many factors to be considered. Mental bullying, HR management, interpretation of Occupational Health Advice, unreasonable pressure on colleagues to prompt them into a routine without fully understanding general health or the mental health damage this triggers and often leads to more complex illnesses.
Let's not forget that SG are not seen as exemplars at this time when it comes to managing processes as Parliamentary process and the media are reporting.
My advice would be make sure you are in the union, and go to them immediately and also Scott Murray and his team for advice too. When meeting HR professionals consider having a PCS rep in attendance or a colleague. It's essentual to make sure there is no link between the HR individuals involved with you and the accused bully or bullies, I'm certain that should not be tolerated.
Finally, don't be frightened or feel alone. Thanks for all the calls and emails this afternoon. Good luck.