Six officials from the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) are under investigation for alleged involvement in workplace bullying, with two of them already suspended, the ministry said Friday.
In response to recent media reports and questions from lawmakers about allegations of workplace bullying involving ministry officials, the ministry held a news conference to present preliminary findings from an investigative task force headed by Deputy Ministry of Health and Welfare Lue Jen-der (呂建德).
Given that most of the complaints were made anonymously, the task force has asked all current and former employees from the workplaces of the accused to complete surveys and indicate whether they are willing to be interviewed, Lue said.
Photo: Lin Hui-chin, Taipei Times
The six officials under investigation include health ministry Secretary General Liu Yu-chuan (劉玉娟), who also heads the Department of Social Insurance, and a senior inspector at the Department of Protective Services, surnamed Lin (林), Lue said.
Liu was accused of bullying during her tenure as the head of the National Health Insurance Administration’s (NHIA) Taipei Division more than two years ago, Lue added.
After conflicting accounts about Liu’s behavior were heard, she was removed from her role as head of the department and took voluntary leave from her position as secretary general, he said.
There was concrete evidence that Lin engaged in serious bullying, Lue said, adding that the two have been suspended with immediate effect “to prevent interviewees from feeling intimidated.”
The way Lin spoke to people “may have involved personal attacks,” and more than one person appeared to have been targeted, Lue said.
The other four officials under investigation include NHIA Deputy Director-General Chen Lian-yu (陳亮妤), Department of Social Assistance and Social Work head Su Chao-ju (蘇昭如), another official from that department and a legislative liaison division official, he said.
The probes are ongoing and none of the four have been suspended. The goal is to finish all six investigation processes within two weeks, he said.
Meanwhile, another potential case of suspected bullying involving the head of the Department of Long-Term Care, Chu Chien-fang (祝健芳), was reported by local Chinese-language CNews.
The report, citing an anonymous source, alleged that Chu denied employees’ overtime pay requests and required staff to take turns leading daily group squats accompanied by one-minute motivational speeches.
Other suspected cases of workplace bullying have also emerged in government institutions and government-affiliated organizations across Taiwan, following the suicide of a Ministry of Labor employee earlier last month, which is believed to have been linked to workplace bullying.
Officials, including Chen Su-fen (陳素芬), director-general of the National Museum of Marine Science and Technology in Keelung, and Wang Wen-yi (王文儀), chairperson of the Taipei Performing Arts Center, are under investigation for alleged workplace bullying.
Separately, the National Development Council (NDC) has removed the director of its Department of Overall Planning after an internal investigation confirmed the official’s involvement in workplace bullying.
The investigation was completed within one week after accusations that the official bullied subordinates were reported by local news media, the NDC said.
The media published a letter jointly written by several members of NDC staff accusing the director of subjecting subordinates to high work pressure, failing to control her emotions and making it difficult to seek approval for days off.
As a result, the department had seen a high turnover with many employees leaving, the report said.
Results of the investigation conducted by a task force determined that the official had engaged in workplace bullying and suggested she be demoted, the NDC said on Friday.
The council has also reviewed its internal rules to prevent workplace bullying, appointing staff to check whether a complaint has been filed and is being acted on, shorten the bullying investigation process and hold those guilty of bullying to account, the NDC said.
The council would provide employees with necessary psychological counseling services and related education about workplace bullying and work to raise the awareness of section heads about their conduct in a bid to prevent any repetition, it added.
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