Staff at genU call for Clare Aimes to be sacked in damning petition
An uprising of disgruntled staff at a national service provider are demanding the removal of its top executive amid claims of harassment and intimidation within the beleaguered company.
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An alleged uprising of disgruntled staff at Geelong-based service provider genU have lobbied to remove its current chief executive amid claims of bullying, harassment and intimidation within the beleaguered company.
A group of employees are demanding current CEO, Clare Amies, be sacked and have prepared a petition for the Board outlining an alleged “toxic” culture within the workplace, also naming chief financial officer Travis Neal.
The Geelong Advertiser can reveal staff were told of Mr Neal’s resignation by email on Friday, the same day a change.org petition was made known to executives.
This masthead is not suggesting the petition and his resignation are related or that any allegations in the petition are true, only that they have been made.
As of Sunday evening, the damning appeal had received more than 150 votes.
One staffer, who did not want to be named, told this masthead the company had “lost its identity and what they stood for”.
“Everybody you talk to that works there can’t wait to get out,” he said.
“They don’t care about people with a disability and residents in their retirement villages, they only care about their bottom line now.
“It’s just all about money.”
The petition claims instances of harassment and unreasonable demands have been reported “making it clear that a change in leadership is necessary for the wellbeing of all staff and viability of the organisation.”
Ms Aimes, a former WorkSafe boss, was appointed in the top job at genU in 2020.
She has been contacted for comment.
Board chairman, Ingrid Williams, said genU “was aware of potentially defamatory claims regarding members of the Executive Leadership Team”.
“genU has a dispute resolution process in place which enables us to investigate any grievances raised in a diligent and impartial way. It is not appropriate for genU to comment on confidential employee matters,” the statement read.
“genU is currently investigating the petition and the claims within it to determine any future actions we will take.”
A spokesman from Australian Services Union (ASU) said it was aware of the allegations against Ms Amies and of staff concerns at genU.
“We take all matters regarding OHS and workplace safety with the utmost seriousness and are working with our members to investigate their claims,” he said.
Ms Williams said Mr Neal’s resignation was unrelated to the above matter.
The CFO, who has been with the company since 2019, has recently secured a new position in the renewable energy sector.
He is a Board chairman of the Australian Energy Foundation.
It’s understood staff were informed of his departure by Ms Amies on Friday.
It comes as genU’s revenue fell 3 per cent to $410m last financial year, a total loss of $9.7m.
Almost all of its income stemmed from employment and training services ($255m), and disability and ageing services ($157m).
Despite the downturn, the revenue figure placed it in the top 30 not-for-profit organisations nationally.
The company has 220 offices and approximately 4200 staff across the country, including almost 2000 in the Geelong region.
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