When a company loses its soul

The HR department ignored requests for help in dealing with a trouble-making and manipulative member of staff.

She was held over a barrel by a contractor who was ripping clients off, but her line management wouldn’t help for fear of upsetting the apple cart.

She gave her all to the job, to the point of spending Boxing Day on site to deal with problems. Her detailed report on that went unacknowledged.

She would wake at night worrying about these and other issues.

To add insult, she was bombarded with emails pressuring her to complete “e-learning” modules broadcast from a distant head office.

She hadn’t been looking for another job, but when the owner of a small, ambitious company offered her a senior role, she didn’t hesitate. Clients expressed shock and real distress when they learned she was leaving.

The company had been through several rounds of cost-cutting and reorganisation, which bred self-serving turf wars and a culture of neglect.

It takes special leadership to keep a company’s soul in those circumstances.