Former Queensland University of Technology social worker claims toxic culture drove her to quit

A former Queensland University of Technology social worker claims a toxic culture of bullying drove her to quit.

An ex-Queensland University of Technology social worker has claimed a toxic culture of bullying drove her to quit after more than 10 years, saying staff who spoke up were “silenced and targeted”.

Jasmine Williams was employed as a welfare officer in QUT’s counselling team, a position she had loved up until her resignation in November 2021.

Ms Williams is among dozens of QUT staff who have left the university in recent years citing a toxic culture and management problems.

Her claims have been “completely and unequivocally” denied by the university.

Ms Williams said she had reported the ongoing issues with the university but said the claims were not followed up, and staff who raised concerns were “silenced and targeted”.

QUT said it was unaware of any instance of staff being silenced and said it had introduced a new channel for staff to make anonymous complaints.

In a statement, QUT said its Vice Chancellor had “no recollection or record” of issues raised by Ms Williams.

Ms Williams said staff who spoke up became known as “trouble causers”.

“This led to a heavy and inappropriate use of HR discipline actions for minor infractions,” Ms Williams said.

“There were conversations coaching us to resign if we were perceived as unhappy.

“There was a culture of fear and being unsafe to talk about the problems in the services.”

Former Queensland University of Queensland social worker Jasmine Williams. Picture: Steve Pohlner

In a statement, QUT said it prides itself on its management of staff complaints and investigates each and every instance of allegations of bullying and mismanagement.

Last week QUT students and staff were left distressed after an exodus of doctors from its on-campus clinics, sparked by changes to GP contract arrangements.

Five doctors and one psychologist will cease working at QUT clinics in the coming weeks – well over half the medical staff.

Hundreds of staff were let go by QUT in the past two years including academics, professional staff and student services staff, which the university has previously blamed on financial pressures due to the pandemic.

Claims of internal unrest and harassment were exposed by The Courier-Mail last year, following an open letter to then chancellor Xiaoling Liu disclosing staff fears.

Vice-Chancellor Margaret Sheil announced QUT senior management were set to be given leadership training, while a third-party run complaints system was established.

The open letter detailed staff being “scared to speak up, let alone raise any issues for fear we will lose our jobs”.

Ms Williams backed those claims, and said prior to the past two years she had loved working at the university, and was passionate in her role in supporting vulnerable students.

“My team and I had been there for years and they were trying to get rid of us, they did it through toxic bullying, lies and a lack of transparency,” she said.

“We all worked there because we cared about students and we begged for help to maintain that service. But they just ran us into the ground.”

A former staffer has accused the Queensland University of Technology of having a tofix culture. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Dan Peled

Following an exodus of medical staff at the university that has reduced the student service to just a handful of GPs, Ms Williams said she feared for “at risk” students.

Ms Williams said it was nearly “impossible” for students to get an appointment.

“Those students are vulnerable. We had at risk students come in every day,” she said.

“They’re at a really stressful stage and we do unfortunately have suicide presentations. We do have students who come in for support about this issue, regularly.

“Now they’re on a massive waiting list.”

An internal change management and implementation plan from last month, and obtained by The Courier-Mail, can reveal QUT has planned further changes to the operations of the university’s medical centres and counselling services.

The most contentious is the transition of its counselling service to an outsourcing model, with the CMIP outlining the negative feedback the proposal had received.

Submissions from staff and the National Tertiary Education Union highlight a number of concerns about the change.

Among the issues were fears outsourced counsellors would lack the QUT-specific knowledge to help students navigate the institution’s systems – knowledge held by those directly employed.

There were also concerns about the “prolonged” period of time between the initiation of the review in June 2021 and the presentation of a proposal of change in June 22.

One submission expressed disappointment that the change process had been conducted during a global pandemic, “in the context of the strain already being experienced within the impacted services”.

The report says the university wants the changes implemented by October.

The spokesman said QUT was expanding and deepening its medical centre offerings for its staff and students, including counselling.

He said students had access to several support services and resources including free, confidential counselling with qualified professionals.

“QUT counsellors and welfare officers work with our students to help them develop strategies that best meet their needs,” the statement read.

“They can help with anything from managing studies and understanding university procedures, to managing stress and anxiety.

“Students can also choose between phone, Zoom or face-to-face appointments so they can find an option that’s safe and comfortable for them.”