Last month it emerged that Jane Davies, the Post Office’s former human resources director, complained about Mr Read’s behaviour under a separate whistleblowing process, which triggered an external investigation due to report back shortly.
Henry Staunton, who was fired by Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch as the Post Office’s chairman in January, claimed earlier this month that Mr Read had overseen a culture of misogyny. Mr Read said that he absolutely refutes the allegations that have been made against him.
The Post Office’s grievances policy says staff may complain around issues of health and safety or behaviour in cases where raising the issue informally with a manager has been unsuccessful, or if they are complaining about their direct manager.
The nature of the grievances against executives revealed by the Freedom of Information request is not clear, and it is understood that they have all been resolved.
A Post Office spokesman said: “As part of our work to change the culture of Post Office, we encourage any person with a complaint to come forward. All complaints are investigated thoroughly, fairly and appropriately, in order to ensure that the mistakes of the past will not be repeated.”
The Post Office website lists five individuals who comprise the group executive, although this has been cut down from nine at the start of the year, and the company’s senior ranks have been shuffled since September 2019, when Mr Read was made chief executive.
Robert Johnson is a UK-based business writer specializing in finance and entrepreneurship. With an eye for market trends and a keen interest in the corporate world, he offers readers valuable insights into business developments.
