February 15, 2010

Killed by a culture of institutional zealotry - Part 2

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post:

It is a sad day when someone can forge your signature 11 times and you end up the aggresor. I would suggest that before you post on a blog you read the relevant reports, engage your brain, and ask the correct questions. Sadly you have done none of the above and are barking up the wrong tree.

Reply: The point is not whether the victim did or did not forge the signatures. We accept that this happened. The point is how the matter was handled - obviously wrongly for it did cost his life! When the finger points to the moon, the idiot looks at the finger - Chinese proverb. Do 11 forged signatures cost one life? Do you not have any remorse for your actions Mrs Starkie? It is called 'emotional intelligence' my dear, or rather the lack of it... Now let us talk about brain transplants...

Pierre Joseph Proudhon

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Simply it is a case of punishment fitting the crime. Would I be upset if an employee forged my signature? Yes. Would I send around a sharp email asking that this never be done in any circumstances ever? Yes. Would I call a meeting and find out what those circumstances could be so that I could have a contingency plan in place (a list of occasions produced by me and signed off on by all staff where it is acceptable to use an electronic signature / rubber signature stamp and an understanding that in all other instances any form goes to a person designated by me for signing)? Yes. Would I have a private meeting with the employee and find out whether he had ever done this before? Yes. Would I warn said employee never, ever to do it again? Yes. Would I alert HR? Maybe. It depends on the employee and their record over all, and also on how sane I personally thought HR would be. Would I put the breaks on if I realised that the matter had blown out of all proportion and was causing the employee distress? You bet. This was an organisational problem. I don't just blame Mrs Starkie. I blame the organisational culture and her superiors who did not tell her to deal with it in a proportional way and solve the problem rather than gunning for the individual. The organisation should also have kept an eye on Mrs Starkie to make sure she understood the difference between 'manager' and 'petty tyrant'.

Anonymous said...

Starkie and co should be charged with harrassment and gross negligence.