Jane Duncan retires eight months after suspension amid bullying allegations
Early exit for NLH chief exec
The chief executive of a Lincolnshire housing association has taken early retirement, eight months after she was suspended amid allegations of bullying and harassment.
Jane Duncan had been suspended on full pay from her £100,000 a year post at North Lincolnshire Homes since June 2009 after complaints from employees, but walked away from the role last week without answering questions about the allegations.
A statement from Tony Lightfoot, chair of the NLH board, said: ‘I can confirm Jane Duncan has taken early retirement from her post as chief executive of North Lincolnshire Homes with immediate effect. The board will now begin the process of seeking to appoint to the post of chief executive.
‘I believe that North Lincolnshire Homes has a positive future ahead with a committed workforce who will continue to deliver improved services for tenants and leaseholders.’
Linda Muir, regional organiser for trade union Unison, said seven members of staff had filed formal complaints of bullying against Ms Duncan. Some were current employees of the organisation, while others were former members of staff who had come forward after the investigation had started.
However, Ms Duncan went on sick leave shortly after her suspension, and was never available to answer questions from independent investigators about the claims. These date back as far as 2006, when the organisation was set up as a stock transfer from North Lincolnshire Council.
Ms Muir said the NLH staff were ‘devastated’ after the chair had contacted them about Ms Duncan’s retirement. She said: ‘It has left them feeling very bitter.’
Ms Muir added that although this marked the end of the internal investigation, at least one of the staff members who had complained was considering taking their grievances to a tribunal.
Neither Ms Duncan nor her legal team were available for comment.
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Readers' comments (12)
kass | 12/03/2010 9:09 am
How long all this bullying and harassment allegations have been going around before getting to this?
I tought bullying and harassment were criminal offences and it seems that like the Three Valleys Housing chief the board, the board chairs, instead of instigating criminal procedures just give these cheif executives leaves and retirement.
How can social landlords go about enforcing Asbo and other criminal cases against tenants when over the same allegations they let their own chief executives just walk away?... Yet another example of discrimination from social landlords showing they can make tenants criminals but not their staff about the same issues.
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Melvin Bone | 12/03/2010 11:32 am
This happens time and time again with people chucking a sickie then taking a payoff rather than facing the music.
There needs to be some financial penalty that can be applied after they leave (perhaps a hold on a percentage or all of the payoff) so that there is a penalty that can be applied to these after they have left a position...
Surely 8 months was more than enough time for an investigation?
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Peter | 12/03/2010 11:37 am
Did she retire because of ill health? I wonder. I somehow don't believe the staff affected are a rebellious or militant group of people and I hope the Chair is not advocating that the matter is now water under the bridge.
The investigation concerning the allegations must go ahead whether CE choses to co-operate or not. If she has a legal team, the investigators should request information from them. If the legal team does not provide information, the findings must be based on evidence gathered and a conclusion could be reached on the balance of probability. This must be published and open to scrutiny.
Bullying and Harassment must not condone or tolerated. It must be dealt with and NLP Board must pursue this matter to a logical and satisfactory conclusion. The Board certainly owed to their staff!
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Kev Dupree | 12/03/2010 3:57 pm
Kass - very simple to answer:
"over the same allegations they let their own chief executives just walk away?... "
The allegations are in no way similar to an ASBO or criminal case brought against a tenant. If they were, the staff affected would be able to make a formal complaint to the police. This is obviously not the case.
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Disgusted of North Lincolnshire | 12/03/2010 4:18 pm
I am totally appalled at this outcome - what a waste of tenant's money paying this bully for eight months while the staff are left to pick up the pieces of their career and sanity. Imagine how many repairs could have been carried out or the positive effeect environmental works could have made.
I hope more of the people she victimised find the courage to take North Lincolnshire Homes to a tribunal and are able to have their voices heard. I hope she is never able to work in a position of authority and leadership again.
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Blair Mcpherson | 12/03/2010 4:43 pm
Bullying is in the news. It would appear to be a lot more prevalent than most people assum. Yet there has been very little advice on how to survive a bully .Here are my tips as a survivor.
The formal processes are not really designed for tackling a senior manger. So this is how to survive whilst finding another job.
Avoid the bully. It’s amazing how much of your job you can do without seeing your manager or talking about work. Keep them off work topics by talking about whatever they are interested in whenever possible. Don’t take your holidays at the same time this way you can spend the best part of summer without seeing them. Six weeks annual leave is twelve weeks you don’t have to meet. One to ones can be stressful so seize the initiative fill the agenda with information about what’s happening in your section/service. Fill the time and don’t leave space for the introduction of contentious areas or opportunities to criticise you or your work. Offer to turn the notes you made in preparation for the meeting into a record of the meeting. That way you control the record of the meeting reducing the chances that they will be used to further undermine you. Never re-arrange a meeting they have cancelled and make sure your diary has no gaps when they are free.
Resisting new and unreasonable demands can be difficult since you are clearly not allowed to say no or point out you already have too much to do. One perfectly reasonable strategy is to say that you are happy to take on new pieces of work but as you are fully stretched with existing work what would they advise are the priorities. You then run through all your existing pieces of work just to remind them. I once did this and my manager stormed out of his own office. I’m not sure whether this is a good recommendation for this course of action but at the time it felt like a small victory of sorts.
I survived the last six months by changing his diary when his PA was out to lunch. All meetings were entered in pencil because if someone more senior wanted his attendance this took priority. He was forever cancelling his meetings and rearranging his diary. I just rubbed out the meetings. The space would be quickly filled. I didn’t complain about the lack of opportunities to meet and he either didn’t notice or didn’t care. Not a long term strategy but sometimes you just have to do whatever it takes to get you through the next few weeks.
Follow me on
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Blair-McPherson/355287772563
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E. M Penman | 12/03/2010 5:35 pm
Goodness me Blair you do seem to be a devious thinker - smart cooky indeed. Is that due to your possible 'northern roots'? I can see how you managed to survive by adopting such a strategy but one's blood would have to be like water to work under those conditions.
Like most decent working folk I would want to confront the person head on, and force them to walk with no expense to tenants.
I am sure that, with more and more of these cases coming to the surface these days, some scheming type may see this as a way to accrue a small fortune. Indeed a name comes to mind.
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kass | 12/03/2010 5:50 pm
"Blair Mcpherson | Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:43 GMT
.... I survived the last six months by changing his diary when his PA was out to lunch. All meetings were entered in pencil because if someone more senior wanted his attendance this took priority. He was forever cancelling his meetings and rearranging his diary. I just rubbed out the meetings. The space would be quickly filled. I didn’t complain about the lack of opportunities to meet and he either didn’t notice or didn’t care. Not a long term strategy but sometimes you just have to do whatever it takes to get you through the next few weeks."
Well done, I am glad you survived... However what happens to those who can#t find a way to survive?... You escaped the bully, but only because the bully must have been obviously too busy bullying someone else.... These bullies must simply be made to disappear. anyone who escapes them good luck to them, but they just leave the next guy coming along to get what they would have got. The sooner you expose them the better.
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Byronboy | 12/03/2010 5:57 pm
Possibly, Kass, it may be eventually revealed that the Three Valleys Housing resolution was based upon 'legal advice', and of course with subsequent approval by TVH's regulator the TSA. You know what these people are like - 'anything for a quiet life' and 'let's put all this behind us'. Nevermind the fact that any finance involved comes out of the rents that tenants pay! I wonder how many more properties could be brought to Decent Homes standards if money wasn't wasted on tenants behalf in this way.
Yes Kass, for my money such bullying people should be told to walk the walk - let the legal consequences take care of themselves. If more decisions of that nature were made I am sure there would be less poor performers of this type being compensated.
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teddy mcnabb | 14/03/2010 9:55 am
I recall an incident of bullying by council officers, towards two disabled [one elderly] gentlemen, when reported within the hour, by phone to their senior officer, notes were taken, yet nobody from the council came for 17 days, when the chief exec was informed, his "professional, caring, fair " attitude was "my staff are,nt doormats" well the victims know that, their bullies like their chief exec.
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