An Oireachtas committee has heard human resource issues at the National Museum of Ireland cost it and the State “in terms of reputation and financially”.
Catherine Heaney chairwoman of the museum’s board and a team from the National Museum were attending the committee recently to discuss human resource issues.
Ms Heaney said the board was now working “incredibly hard” to address the issues but would not put a figure on the financial cost of the human resource difficulties. Sinn Féin’s Peadar Tóibín, chairman of the Joint Oireachtas Committee for Arts and Heritage, said he estimated that between €1.5 million and €1.8 million had been spent on legal settlements and consultant reports.
A health and wellbeing survey of staff, carried out last year, found more than 40 per cent were at risk of developing anxiety or depression. It also found one in five employees at the institution was “often” or “always” subjected to bullying. Another 20 per cent said they were “sometimes” the victims of bullying, while one employee complained of having to deal with “bullies and perverts”. There had been concerns about bullying at the museum and some legal action was taken by former staff.
Ms Heaney, who has been chairwoman since July 2016, said not all staff completed the survey, though two-thirds did. There were some positives in it, she said, noting that 93 per cent of staff who replied had said they were happy to come to work. She also said the survey should not have been distributed to the media. She told the committee she was not in a position to discuss individual cases because of confidentiality obligations.
She said HR issues arose “even in the smallest organisations” and she would not be surprised if “anyone in this room” had to deal with such issues. She highlighted the hard work and commitment of staff at the museum, particularly during 1916 commemorations.
Raghnall Ó Floinn Uasal, museum director outlined progress in dispute resolution and the establishment of a staff forum. He said a full review would be carried out to ascertain what resources were actually needed in HR.
