“A really malicious letter should be read once only and destroyed, or best of all not read at all. These things lodge in the mind.”
Iris Murdoch
Anytime I post a part of my story that involves a malicious and vexatious letter, on company letterhead, sent by an organisation that violates privacy and WHS laws, I will repeat the above quote. Such letters of attempted intimidation, coercion and threats must not be read, for emotional safety and wellbeing.
The HR associate director organised a useless meeting in October where, once again, policies were not followed. NO MINUTES WERE TAKEN. NO RECORD EXISTS OF SUCH “MEETINGS”. Policies clearly stated that minutes must be taken. The meeting was probably only organised, to say they did it, because I was a broken record in that one hour phone meeting, repeating, “I just need a face to face meting, human connection, to resolve this issue.”
In this bullshit meeting where no record exists, the HR associate director attempted to put words in my mouth. Let the backfiring begin, because I know what she was trying to do. She said, “You don’t feel safe at the Strathfield campus,” to which I replied, “I never said that. I’m part of the fabric of the Strathfield campus. I don’t feel emotionally safe under that manager. That’s one person. Not an entire campus.”
And let’s be honest. If anyone does not feel “safe” on the public grounds of a public university campus, then the VC and senior executive leaders have a serious duty of care and legal obligation to ensure safety of staff, students and community members on public property. That is their responsibility.
I refused, in that creepy meeting, to attend some bullshit IME that had nothing to do with the bullying, discrimination and harassment, WHS and complaints management policies. I had already provided reports to that incompetent library associate director (to my regret), based on malicious gossip and lies from that narcissistic manager (btw. count the creepy unsafe meetings I was subjected to, all alone, without my own right to support of my choice). Enough violation of my privacy and human rights! Piss off!
Of course, my “support person” was now this OT, paid for by the university, when I had chosen an advocate from my colleagues. I had plenty of people I could have chosen. But the isolation and ostracism had already started with a cunning snake of an associate director in HR. On one side of the table was this creepy individual and the library associate director, now a puppet on strings. On the other side was me and a person I didn’t know, forced onto me to be my “advocate.” I had informed the OT I would NOT be subjected to more privacy violations when there was NOTHING to disclose. The discrimination and harassment ENDS NOW!
Really, what was the role of the OT in all this? Where’s the use of an OT in the bullying, harassment and discrimination policies and procedures? What exactly was the OT paid by HR to do, how much was she paid and for what purpose? What was her hidden agenda and why did she agree to take on such an unethical request? She was evasive and elusive regarding her role and transparency.
I also had a meeting with this OT at Rockdale library. I can’t remember if it was before or after that creepy HR meeting in October 2019. The only thing I remember from that meeting at Rockdale was her disrespectful comment about those who died by suicide being “selfish”, knowing I lost my dad in this way.
Such a comment was not a surprise when it came from the ignorant Greek Orthodox Church community. But I expected better from allied health professionals like this “occupational therapist”. Given how unfit all these “professionals” were proving to be in their jobs, perhaps they should be coerced, under threat, to go to an IME “practitioner” like the very disturbed and dangerous individual at St. Vincent’s private, Darlinghurst. What was the motive behind the OT? Whatever it was, it was not in good faith. Removing the campus minister, who knew me well, as my right to an advocate of my choice, and HR paying for their own? I suspect even the OT they paid for, found herself in a moral and ethical crisis with what they were doing, as readers will find out.
I told the relationships manager, on the phone, I refuse to agree to such suspicious actions. I heard her quietly say to cooperate, but it was obvious she was being coerced too. IT’S NOT COOPERATION. IT’S AN EXAMPLE OF ILLEGAL COERCION! Cooperation would be when there are competent and ethical leaders in this organisation complying with laws and regulations as part of authentic governance. Not appointing unethical leaders who have engaged in so much coercive control, the organisation is riddled with silent voices that scream institutional abuse!
Therefore on the 15 October 2019, a traumatic letter of malicious and vexatious lies and gaslighting tactics was sent from the creepy HR associate director. It constitutes discrimination, lack of credibility and truthfulness and false and misleading statements. It was much later (5 months later), that I had a serious privacy violation sprung onto me, that implicated my family and their privacy in this irrelevant WHS matter. It was from private and personal text message communication to my support, advocate and colleague, the campus minister, going back to August 2019, when I feared I would become a target of evil adverse action and yet another victim of this institutional abuse. Campus ministry comes under the directorate of Identity and Mission. One text message was singled and taken out of context to use against me in the lowest form of immoral, unethical and dangerous adverse action.
Organisations like SANE need to be informed. Organisations that engage in such immoral behaviour should be named and shamed to deter anyone contemplating such traumatic and abusive adverse action.
It was their legal obligation to resolve my grievance respectfully as per policies, and move forward with a fair resolution for everyone. It would ensure respect, dignity, safety, health and wellbeing for continuity of service excellence for the benefit of the university.
I emailed that nasty HR associate director asking her to enlighten me as to which staff I allegedly threatened self-harm to, while also stating that I refused to be victimised anymore (again it was a private text from August 2019, deliberately taken out of context, that should never have been in their possession to use in evil adverse action - something long forgotten by 9 March 2020, when it was sprung onto me - they had NO RIGHT to implicate my family by violating their privacy, as their motive to harm me in reckless and wilful misconduct).
The deceit, lack of transparency and true motive for a clause in the enterprise agreement to be used without any valid reason was now evident (or rather, their “reason” backfired, but instead of doing the right thing legally and ethically, more and more laws were breached, including committing offences, in desperate attempts to make me disappear, but also now targeting my family that they pissed off for violating their privacy - it just got worse - ultimately for them).
Their excuse for this illegal coercion changed multiple times along the way. The only constant was HR repeatedly refusing to meet and communicate with me and answer my questions directly. Allegations were made that were not only false, but dangerous, exploiting and disrespecting tragedies and adversities in my life, that included the loss of my father to suicide. It was their attempt to trigger distress and trauma. What kind of corporate psychopathy was I dealing with?
Let’s not forget. The fish rots from the head down.
19 October 2019 is the date of my email to the HR associate director, notifying her that I was preparing the particulars of the complaint in writing, as I had reported on 5 August 2019 in a meeting, to the other associate director from the library, who fobbed me off rather than do her job to resolve locally.
There is good reason why I emphasise that my email to the HR associate director about my upcoming email with written “particulars” attached, was dated 19 October 2019. My attention to detail has been brilliant, even in this distressed state I was put in caused by WHS breaches, as has my compilation of the volume of evidence to back it up. Not bad for someone apparently ALWAYS unfit to do her job as a qualified and high achieving information manager (that bullshit is coming up in later posts too, from an ACNC registered non-profit self-insurer called Catholic Church Insurance).
I was notifying all parties involved of the “particulars” (including my GP). I sent this email to all relevant parties (including that OT) on 23 October 2019. All relevant parties were copied in. This is evidence that the HR associate director was well aware that I was sending the particulars, that a primitive online form hadn’t been designed to allow for uploading, at the time. The HR associate director then fast tracked the letter threatening disciplinary action including termination, if I did not attend an IME, dated 22 October 2019. The day before. By post, to my GP, as advised by the OT, for “support.”. Was she having a moral crisis with the reality of what these unconscionable people were capable of? The only thing they’re not capable of doing is their senior executive jobs, with ethical standards.
Senior executives displayed (not) such respect and value for hardworking staff, who are truly aligned to the mission and values of this organisation. In my case, since August 2001. It is exploitation in addition to institutional abuse. But the WHS and RTW injury management regulators allowed it. The responsibility fell on me, one person, to prove the truth. Suicide prevention is dear to my heart. Our human and employee rights and entitlements is my passion too. You can’t depend on unions like the National Tertiary Education Union to serve its members ethically and with integrity either (at least not for the professional members).
Instead of respect, dignity and a safe work environment, a bunch of senior executive corporate psychopaths embroiled me in strategic war games. At this time, I still had no idea that it would become something bigger than Ben Hur. I wasn’t dragged into unfair strategic war games with one organisation. It became a network of unethical “strategic alliances” - a “gang” of corporate psychopaths. For me, it felt like a spiritual battle of good against evil. It is good that triumphs in the end.
To quote from a previous blog post of mine - This is not how I was raised to treat people. I was also not raised to be treated like this by others, no matter who they are. We are all born vulnerable with the same needs. Everyone has the same right to dignity of the human person. (See When we are born).
This post is based on documents 13-16. It displays coercion, adverse action for requesting generally protected workplace rights, privacy violations and malicious and vexatious conduct.
Recommended reading
Simmons, L. (2020, 30 April). ‘How narcissistic leaders destroy from within.’ Stanford Graduate School of Business. [Blog]: https://stanford.io/3f4169L
Relevant legislation:
Anti-Discrimination Act 1977 (NSW)
https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-1977-048#sec.50
https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-1977-048#sec.53
Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth)
http://www6.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/legis/cth/consol_act/fwa2009114/s340.html
http://www6.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/legis/cth/consol_act/fwa2009114/s343.html
Privacy Act 1988 (Cth)
http://www8.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/legis/cth/consol_act/pa1988108/s13.html
Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (NSW)
https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-2011-010#sec.19
https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-2011-010#sec.27
https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-2011-010#sec.31
https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-2011-010#pt.6
Work Health and Safety Regulation 2017 (NSW)
https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/sl-2017-0404#ch.3-pt.3.2-div.11
