Todd Jacobson
WC Monitor
10/10/2014
The top manager at the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley Site Office improperly utilized her position to force employees to perform work on personal matters and created a “negative work environment” before being terminated, DOE’s Inspector General said in a report released late last week. The publicly released version of the inspection report, dated Sept. 30, did not specifically identify the manager, but WC Monitor has learned that former Lawrence Berkeley Site Office Manager Aundra Richards was the subject of the document.
Richards, who had headed up the Berkley Site Office since 2005, was abruptly removed as the manager of the Lawrence Berkeley Site Office earlier this year. She was replaced, on an acting basis, by SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory Site Office Manager Paul Golan. DOE did not provide any details about the management change, including why the change was made and whether Richards continues to work for the Department. DOE did not respond to requests for comment this week.
Mgr. Accused of Intimidating Employees
In its report, however, the DOE IG said it substantiated allegations that the manager made employees work on the family trust of the manager’s relative, used contractor employees to clean the manager’s office and run personal errands, and stored an “extensive” amount of personal records on federal property. “We also substantiated the allegations that the manager accessed employees’ emails and created a negative work environment,” the IG said. “In addition, we found that the manager attempted to intimidate employees after obtaining a copy of an investigative report regarding prior allegations against the manager and stating to staff that the manager knew who the negative comments had come from.” The IG added: “In this environment, it is doubtful that the Site Office was able to function effectively in carrying out its vital mission.”
The IG recommended that DOE determine whether disciplinary action was necessary and increase the level of supervision on the manager, but DOE noted that it could not take further action “because of a change in the manager’s employment status.” The IG also recommended that DOE ensure the services provided by contractor staff are within the scope of support service contracts, develop and implement policies requiring senior-level and legal review and approval before site managers are given access to employee email and computer records, and change current procedures and training to “ensure that employees are free to exercise their protected rights.”
