A second bullying allegation

Stuff reports:

Labour MP Anna Lorck is undergoing leadership training and is doing her “best to be a better manager of staff” after a second former staffer has accused the backbencher of bullying.

The MP’s former executive assistant, who Stuff has agreed not to name in order to protect his career prospects, is one of three to work for Lorck since she entered Parliament in late 2020. …

The second Lorck staffer, who was offered support by Parliamentary Service, described persistent bullying which included a “public scolding” that prompted another Labour MP to check he was OK.

The staffer said he was regularly denigrated during his six months working for the Tukituki MP and told he was not up to the job. He said the treatment felt “emotionally abusive”.

He quit last September, and said his already fragile mental health took a massive dive as a result.

There’s not a lot of detail to go on here, but having two of your three staffers accuse you of bullying is either very bad luck, or an indication of a problem.

“During his time working at Parliament the Parliamentary Service, Labour whips and I were all involved in extensive support to help him in his job, alongside his union,” she said in a statement.

“I was devastated to hear how he felt after he finished working for us and I hope he’s doing better now.”

She said she was doing her best to be a better manager of staff. “I’ve taken these and other concerns raised on board and I’m currently working with an experienced leadership coach on this.

Not quite sure what a leadership coach is, but I find the best resource for a new MP is other MPs. I recall advising more than one Minister to look at how Ministers such as Roger Sowry or Paula Bennett ran their offices, as they had massively happy staff despite high pressure portfolios.

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