March 26, 2016

Leeds Met

Hi.

I have just found online the information about the resignation of the VC at Leeds Met in 2009 amidst allegations around bullying at that institution. I've read some of the posts from people working there and the bullying culture they were working within.

I would like to say that although it is many years ago and I have moved onto new work, I am still affected by the bullying I underwent at Liverpool Hope Uni, involving managers and senior people as well as the then Rector as he was before moving to Leeds Met. This ongoing, sustained personal damage lead eventually to my being made redundant and forced out of my job. This has turned out to be the best thing that could have happened to me, but the trauma of what I underwent and the effects of the stress I endured for years there are still there. They have also affected my pension as I had to work part time which has affected my final salary. I now work for myself and go into primary schools. In the course of this work I encounter students on placement in school who are training in Liv. Hope; I always feel a shock when I hear the name of the place and it brings instant fear memories into me. Just the mention of the place, even now. As an example of something that is still strong from that time, I can remember looking every time I went into work, to see if my manager's door knob was visible in the corridor (as that meant her door was shut and I could walk past to get to my office) and then not walking down the corridor if it wasn't visible as I would've been stopped and questioned. Despite so much help and therapy the memories are still in my body.

I don't know if it is helpful to others, but my current work and knowledge for my job confirms for me that what I underwent at Liv. Hope WAS trauma. And the fact that I still have these fearful feelings stored in my body, over a decade on, is further evidence that this was a type of trauma. Although when you are in the midst of being bullied it is very easy to doubt yourself totally, and I don't think I would've believed it was trauma back then. But I do now.

This morning, it has shocked me to learn, well over ten years later, that this behaviour and treatment of staff was repeated at Leeds Met Uni when he moved there.

I don't know if it is of help to write this letter, but maybe it will be. It isn't what I thought I'd be doing this morning. But it has been great to discover your website today and to know that such an organisation exists for people like me whose workplace is a place of fear and terror. There was not this kind of support back when I was struggling.

Thanks for reading this.

Best wishes,
Anonymous

4 comments:

Gareth said...

Nothing changed at Leeds Met (now Beckett) after he left. It's astonishing how well they seem to be covering up the bullying of staff of ALL levels. The place is run by sociopaths of the highest order.

Anonymous said...

This opener about charlatan circus professors reminds me of two staff at Ulster University, Terry O'Keefe who was made a professor for various dirty tricks and who had not a single academic publication to his name, and Terri Scott, who got a Distinguished Teaching Award despite not having taught a single class in decades.....but then the VC at the time, now deceased, only ever produced one book, a coffee table glossy on the rules of cricket.....

Howard Fredrics said...

It would be good to know the name of this VC from Liverpool Hope/Leeds Met, who oversaw such an awful workplace culture, in the even that he resurfaces elsewhere. It's important to name names, whenever possible.

Anonymous said...

There would be quite a few nice things to say about Liverpool Hope. Academic bullying may be widespread, but I think that it is not easy to do worse than Hope. I agree with the author of the post, leaving is the best thing, not to get involved at all is far better.