I’m struggling to cope with my colleagues in a mental health charity
I have worked part-time for a small, local mental health charity for the past seven months. It’s an interesting and varied job, focusing on financial management, grants, marketing, strategic development and promotions. However, I am the only person working here who doesn’t have a mental health issue: the two other part-time staff and all the current trustees are former service users.
I have noticed a certain rigidity of thinking and lack of ability to adapt and change views. Also, I have experienced three instances of aggressive and unpleasant behaviour. I was subject to a “rage and rant” from a colleague with a mental health issue a few weeks ago and have complained to the trustees. It amounts to gross misconduct in my opinion. I have since learned that this person did the same with my predecessor, which was probably part of the reason why he left.
Four of the seven trustees have resigned since I started because of infighting on the board, including two trustees who did not have mental health issues. One remaining trustee (with no experience of working in the charity sector, and no experience of my areas of work) tries to interfere and tell me what to do, which is not the proper role of a trustee.
The charity seems close to collapse, and while I like the job and think what the charity does can be beneficial, I fear working there is eroding my well-being and I am thinking of resigning. The charity clearly needs to change and adapt. Do you have any advice on working in such an environment?
Jeremy says
I notice you make no mention of a chief executive, or the equivalent – and that seems odd. Even the smallest of charities should have someone formally in charge, whose clear responsibility it is to run the organisation on a day-to-day basis. The function of a board of trustees is to oversee operations and appoint (and if necessary, replace) the chief executive. From the fact that you made your complaint to the trustees it would seem that this charity is trying to operate without a CEO – either that or it is limping along with an ineffective one – which would go a long way to explaining the dysfunctional state it seems to be in. There doesn’t seem to be a chairman of trustees either.
If this is the case, the changes you know to be needed are extremely unlikely to take place: leaderless organisations are as powerless to control their own direction of travel as rudderless ships. And as one of three part-time members of staff, your influence is bound to be limited.
So I find it difficult to give you any hopeful advice. Neither of the options open to you is particularly attractive. Either you keep your head down, tolerate the occasional examples of offensive behaviour and wait for something to happen – perhaps even the collapse of the organisation you suspect may be imminent – or you resign.
But you’re rightly concerned for all those with mental health problems, the very people whom this charity is funded to help. They must be receiving seriously inadequate attention. So if you decide to resign, you might choose to do so with the maximum internal effect.
Include all the trustees in your letter of resignation and itemise specific flaws and weaknesses. And mention the Charity Commission, the government body responsible for the registration and regulation of all charities in the UK: the prospect of the commission taking an active interest in this charity’s management might finally spur the board of trustees into the constructive change that’s needed.
To know that you’d been instrumental in effecting such change might give you some small but compensating satisfaction.
Readers say
• It’s common for mental health charities to recruit people with experience of mental health issues, but this is not a licence for employees to behave without due care and attention to the needs of others. Unless somebody at management and trustee level gets a grip and recognises that there has to be significant change, you’re on a hiding to nothing and should look for another job. fairshares
• Not sure what mental health has to do with the behaviour of these people. There are people like that where I work. I call them loudmouths and bullies. Health problems or not, they have no right to behave to a colleague like that. Management should take the appropriate action, though if this charity is like many other organisations, it won’t. poulter
My IT job has been axed – how can I make my career dreams come true?
I have just been declared “surplus” following a restructuring process at my place of work, where I have been employed for 18 years doing IT support.
As the job is in the public sector, there is now a period of attempted redeployment where I will be given priority access to apply for other jobs. If that is not successful I will take redundancy, which is on good terms.
I feel I am at a crossroads: I can either attempt to continue in the same vein, or pursue a more risky career path which would give me greater fulfilment.
I have no passion or interest in IT, but realistically another job in that field seems to be the best chance to retain my salary.
The areas in which I am passionate include psychology, philosophy, music, media and marketing. If I had the financial freedom to retrain, I would like to do a degree in psychology.
I am also currently writing a book about music. I realise that even if the book is accepted, it will be difficult to make a living from this.
Please can you suggest how these disparate elements of interest and experience could come together to create a new career opportunity.
Jeremy says
There is a halfway house. As you clearly appreciate, the chances of landing a job in one of your preferred areas at a satisfactory salary level must be very remote.
But IT support is needed by all kinds of organisations working in all manner of different fields. And a common complaint made by such organisations is that their techies have no knowledge of, or even interest in, what those organisations exist to do. I’d be fairly certain that if you could find an IT job working in the area of media, music or marketing, they’d be delighted to have you – and you’d be a lot closer to a world for which you have real enthusiasm.
Readers say
• Take the “follow your dream” route. I would venture to suggest that being uninterested will be pounced on in the private sector (where you might have to go). And redeployment? That could turn up anything. SmokeyStover
• Is it just you or do you have dependants? The whole dream-following thing for me depends very much on who suffers if you fail. Just you, then no problem, knock yourself out. I have much more respect for the friends who put family security ahead of the dream than I do for the single ones who complain about their job when their future is entirely theirs to control. ibby129
Do you need advice on a work issue? For Jeremy’s and readers’ help, send a brief email to dear.jeremy@theguardian.com. Please note that he is unable to answer questions of a legal nature or reply personally.
