This is the most shocking review of Oxfam, the charity I used to work for, I have ever read. The review was placed on 'glassdoor' on 20 March 2017, a little over a month ago. The employee in question, stated they worked at Oxfam House, Head Office, in Cowley, Oxford, for about eight years. This person, would have been there when I was employed; I probably knew them or spoke to them in the past.
My readers are well aware, of the traumatic time, I went through, whilst working for Oxfam; when you are going through such turmoil, you do feel alone, most of the time; it is a natural feeling. I have read a lot about this charity recently, no least the reviews online. I have received email after email, detailing other employees experiences, with Oxfam; not only from the region I used to work in, but from much further afield, also. I have read about the death of an employee, who took their own life, because of victimisation; I have experienced bullying first hand and am in regular contact with those, who are still suffering, at the hands, of some of the most disgusting individuals, I have ever, had the misfortune to meet. The reality for me, is, I am still dealing with Oxfam, what happened to me and others, as well as trying, to give advice, to those, in a similar position today.
The person who wrote this review, was brave and truthful. Like me, they realised, this kind of behaviour, could not go unchecked. Too many individuals, good people, hardworkers, have been destroyed or thrown asunder, as Oxfam continues, to rip up the rule book. This charity believes it is above the law: it's Government links and powerful place, at the top of the charity tree, is a smokescreen for some extraordinary terrible deeds; the kind of actions I have never experienced, in all my working life; public and private sector alike.
Clearly, it isn't a great time to wok at Oxfam. The review pinpoints areas of concern for all those who work and give to this organisation. A review is mentioned. Ever since I can remember, Oxfam has been in the middle of some review or another. It seems they are constantly wrestling with internal issues, unable to resolve problems and conflict. This is a dreadful indictment on all those senior managers at Head Office.
I remember attending a hearing against my superior, who had been bullying myself and other colleagues. The Regional Manager, Peter Hall, who discussed the issues at hand, along with Beth Mayes, Head of HR, were both in attendance, along with a Union Representative, Nick Bailey. The whole sorry episode was a farce, staged by this group of uninterested, belligerent and antagonistic people. They were not interested in what I had to say, far from it, they had already made up their minds. A co-worker who was also in attendance, with me, was destroyed in every possible way. He walked out of the meeting, after the Union representative, had to stop proceedings, because the Regional Manager, had brought my associate to tears; shouting and bullying were his tactics; no different, to those employed, across Oxfam, as a whole. Other colleagues, who also stood up against this intolerable behaviour, were belittled in the same way, choosing, as I did, to resign in the end, due to the sinister, appalling nature of what was going on.
Let me talk about, a couple of the statements, made by my colleague, who wrote this review. I have highlighted the important ones above; ones that are relevant to me. The first is that 'HR can not be trusted with personal issues.' This I know to be true; both myself and colleagues, spoke personally to HR representatives, at various different stages, on issues of a personal nature. These confidential discussions were spoken about to others, who used them as a reason to bully. The issues involved, included the sensitive subject of rape and miss use of medical records, which people with no authority, had access too. Yes these are shocking revelations, but they are true and known to those, who used them for their own malicious ends. It was common knowledge that one should never tell HR anything; they were untrustworthy and had people working in the department, who were quite willing to hand personal details out to whoever they thought fit.
Secondly, 'Head Office is surprisingly undiverse!' This is an interesting point for me. I had been to Head Office on a number of different occasions and was struck by the lack of minority groups, recognised within Oxfam House; how few of the directors, came from a different cultural background and most concerning, the senior management team, were completely unrepresentative of those they managed. Their bombastic and bullish attitudes were difficult to quantify, considering those, they were supposed to be helping. Oxfam Head Office is basically a bastion of white, middle class people, all trying to protect their positions. One colleague once told me, that living in Oxford was pricey; Oxfordshire being the most expensive county to live outside of London. High mortgages and rents, were the only concern, of those working, at this luxurious Head Office, on the outskirts of Oxford. There was very little concern for the programmes, initiated by Oxfam, designed to help 'Make Poverty History!' Once again a shocking appraisal of a failing charity!
The third and last one I want to cover today, in this entry is 'It's hard to find someone to advise on benefits and policies!' This is the area, that Oxfam failed me in: unable to give me the correct information, with regards to disability and discrimination. An Area Manager apparently knew nothing of policies and procedures, designed to protect staff. Her ignorance left many employees, feeling abandoned and ill, at a time, when they should have been given support. An inability to recognise, appropriate Government employment legislation, is criminal, and people should have been prosecuted, over systemic failures, of Health and Safety, putting lives at risk, causing physical and mental damage, to those who should have been looked after.
There is so much more I could say, most of which I have said already, so wont repeat. I feel sure that in time, Oxfam will be exposed, for the terrible charity, they really are. They should be stripped of their charitable status, after what they have done to their employees; these people must be brought to account. Unite, the Union, who represented me, did very little to help my circumstances. They sit within, an office, at Oxfam House and have built up a rapport, friendships and understandings, with senior managers. Unite are guilty of conspiring with Oxfam, to cause damage and discredit, those, they were supposed to represent. Finally, it is up to my colleagues, who still remain active, in the organisation, to stand up for each other, as they didn't do, for me and others; speak out against bullying, speak up for those with no voice, speak louder, the less they listen and speak out against the lies and disregard for human dignity; then, eventually, things may change!
