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Dozens of allegations of assault, bullying and sexual harassment have been levelled at Ministry of Social Development staff over the past five years.
Thirty MSD staff have been accused of assault and 20 of sexual harassment from January 2017 to September last year.
The data, released to the Herald underthe Official Information Act, also shows there were 38 reports of bullying lodged against staff members in the same period.
One worker, who the Herald has agreed not to name, alleged there was a "completely toxic" culture at the organisation and claimed people were "terrified" to speak out. The worker's bullying complaint was one of 27 complaints not substantiated after an investigation.
Of the remaining complaints, one person resigned, two people were issued final written warnings, and two were resolved.
MSD said complaints of assault include any form of unwelcome physical contact involving an employee, such as a staffer charged with an assault outside the work environment or an incident between employees.
A former worker, who also did not want to be named, said they also complained about bullying but said they never found out the outcome.
The worker claimed they had been bullied. Photo / 123rf
In a statement, MSD's people and capability deputy chief executive Stephen Crombie said the organisation was continuously improving policies and processes to ensure there is a positive workplace where all people can feel safe and experience mana manaaki (a positive experience every time).
"We let our staff know that we take their wellbeing seriously and if they are faced with any inappropriate workplace behaviour, including bullying, harassment or discrimination, we want them to speak up and be confident that action will be taken."
Crombie noted that 87 complaints over a five-year period were "relatively small" given that MSD has over 9300 staff.
A good example of the "strong processes" the ministry had in place was when an external investigator was brought in and an external review following a complaint in Social Services Accreditation Agency/Te Kāhui Kāhu.
"Staff were surveyed in August and the mood was generally positive. A total of 90 per cent of respondents agreed with the statement 'I feel that my manager wants me to succeed'. And a total of 72 per cent said they were able to do their job effectively."
Of the assault accusations across the entire ministry, six resulted in resignations, one of dismissal, four in final written warnings, one letter of expectation and three in letters of caution.
Seven were unsubstantiated, two were resolved and five were "in progress" without an outcome.
For the sexual harassment claims, three accused staff resigned, three were issued with "first warnings", five with letters of expectation and one final warning.
