Almost half the staff at Consumer and Business Services department are considering quitting

A shocking review into workplace behaviours of a prominent state government agency has been released.

Consumer and Business Affairs Minister Andrea Michaels said she would be working with Ms Mealor and Mr Humphrey to oversee the implementation of all the recommendations. Picture: Keryn Stevens.

Almost half of the staff within the state government’s Consumer and Business Services department are considering quitting due to excessive workloads and issues with leadership and workplace behaviours, a damning review of the agency has found.

It comes as the consumer watchdog’s former commissioner speaks out after he says he was cleared of sexual harassment allegations levelled against him in a separate inquiry, while acknowledging that “engaging in long-term consensual relationships a number of years ago was not in keeping with the expectations of my role”.

The Treasury Department in September last year launched an investigation into claims CBS’s former boss Dini Soulio had promoted some women with whom he had consensual relationships.

He was not accused of any criminal wrongdoing.

A Treasury spokesperson has confirmed the inquiry has concluded but would not provide any further details.

Former CBS Commissioner Dini Soulio. Picture: Supplied

However, Mr Soulio has told The Advertiser he was “pleased that an independent investigation last year cleared me of serious allegations of sexual harassment”.

“However, my conduct in engaging in long-term consensual relationships a number of years ago was not in keeping with the expectations of my role,” he said.

“On that basis, and in the interests of the families of everyone involved, I took the decision to resign after some 23 years in the public service.”

Mr Soulio was the CBS Commissioner for almost 10 years before he became the chief executive of Super SA in March last year.

The allegations related to his time at CBS. He quit his role at Super SA in November last year while the inquiry into his conduct at the regulator was ongoing.

Meanwhile, a separate review into CBS has been released, laying bare a myriad of workplace issues within the agency.

As a result of that inquiry, the Attorney-General’s Department is temporarily taking over CBS’s human resources section and AGD chief executive Caroline Mealor and new CBS Commissioner Brett Humphrey will carry out a series of meetings across the agency to inform staff of the processes available to them should they feel aggrieved by any individual within the organisation.

Consumer and Business Services Minister Andrea Michaels. Picture: Keryn Stevens.

The government has confirmed it will implement all 26 recommendations from the review, which was also launched in September last year with senior government sources at the time saying it would address workplace matters such as “toxic behaviours” within the regulator.

A total of 140 out of a possible 227 current employees, and 46 out of a possible 164 former staff took part in a survey for the review.

Of the current staff who responded to the questionnaire, 106 indicated an intention to leave CBS, citing “excessive, unreasonable and unsustainable” workloads, as well as leadership issues and workplace behaviours as their reasons.

The report stated that many respondents described the workplace culture “curated and based on personality, relationships, influence and informality, rather than one based on robust management practices and decision-making”.

The report stated this could result in “perceptions of favouritism and cliques, where those who have strong positive relationships with the leader can be seen to benefit in some way” while those not in favour of the leader felt “targeted, isolated and ignored”.

Among its recommendations, the report also suggested that CBS review its customer service standards and expectations in line with available resources, including its service centre and phone line operating hours.

Consumer and Business Services Minister Andrea Michaels said she would be working with Ms Mealor and Mr Humphrey to oversee the implementation of all the recommendations “with a new role being created to deliver these”.

Originally published as Almost half the staff at Consumer and Business Services department are considering quitting