The ‘Paula Vennells way’ is no way to run an institution

One of the most telling moments in the cross-examination of the former Post Office boss, Paula Vennells, was when she stated: “What I failed to do was I failed to recognise ... the imbalance of power between the institution and the individual. I let these people down – I’m very aware of that.”

Most people who have worked for large institutions, whether that’s in the public or private sector, will be familiar with a management style that is driven and obsessed with data and performance targets. It is a culture that works on the principle that if it can’t be measured or quantified, then it didn’t happen. The larger the institution the greater the disconnect between the management and the employees, leading often to dehumanising attitudes towards staff.

In my own profession as a teacher, I have witnessed the cruelty of Ofsted, which recently came to the public’s attention with the tragic suicide of head teacher Ruth Perry. Her life’s work and dedication, and that of her staff, was reduced to an “inadequate” score by a visiting team of inspectors who, working within a tight framework of objectivity and compliance, misrepresented her and the staff with the most dire consequences.

Clearly, Ofsted’s findings were at odds with the respect shown by the wider school community. There is a gross imbalance of power within the education system, and I’m sure it’s the same if you’re a doctor, social worker, police officer, civil servant or nurse. Paula Vennells can certainly be found in a lot of managerial positions, and they tend to rise to the top as a consequence of their banality. They obsess over data and have no real interest or aptitude for working with the staff who they are responsible for. When the data doesn’t fit with their ideal, someone has to be punished.

Over 30 years of teaching, I witnessed a dramatic change in the culture of schools, colleges and universities. Out went the personnel department and in came human resources. This simple change tells you everything you need to know about the direction we have been going in. At the time, I eventually left teaching I was immersed in a world of “value-added”, “appraisal” and “performance”.

Like my colleagues, I was held to a high level of accountability and, under normal circumstances, this would be both appropriate and reasonable. But, there is nothing appropriate or reasonable about the way the Paula Vennells of this world choose to make judgements and seek to manage. It is a cruel way to run any institution. The callous indifference to staff at a human level often leaves them permanently stressed, sleep-deprived and consequently underperforming.

This is why I think the Post Office enquiry has struck a chord with the general public: people are sick of being treated as a resource. We all have hopes, aspirations and worries, and any management team that fails to recognise this is not fit for purpose.

Terry Swainsbury

Constantine

Perhaps the ill-thought and half-baked national service plan is an effort to atone for the fact that this government has denied our young people the opportunity to spend some formative months working and living in the EU. Instead of bringing back national service, how about bringing back freedom of movement?

Eleanor Holloway

Berks

Rishi Sunak’s defective judgement becomes ever more obvious. Calling an election when 20 points behind in the polls, announcing it outside in pouring rain, and now compulsory national service, which has lost him the youth vote.

Is he, in fact, a secret member of the Labour Party?

David Kilpatrick

St Albans

The prime minister’s plan for national service seems to have drawn strong backlash.

However, I would personally praise this initiative, so long as it can accommodate the interests, abilities and needs for accessibility of all students. It could help develop a student’s life skills and provide an insight into future careers.

At school in Kent in the Eighties, my school subscribed to cadet training, sending many students to Sandhurst and also to the Voluntary Services Unit. I spent two days a week with VSU, supporting the elderly.

This gave me a true taste for the voluntary/third/government sectors which I support from the heart and have worked within for decades. I climbed up to the executive level within the voluntary sector and today lead a coalition on internet and medical technologies at the Internet Governance Forum of the United Nations.

This is a good initiative!

Amali De Silva-Mitchell

Windsor

Whoever can fill the potholes, get the NHS back on its feet, deal with striking train drivers, get working from home culture out of our system, get a handle on utility companies, sort a meaningful Brexit plan and stop the boats, are the party who should be voted in.

We do not want five-point or six-point plans or the introduction of national service.

But Sunak will still be talking about Rwanda, and Keir Starmer too scared to talk about any of the real issues.

Anil Patel

Wallington

Israel has, in my opinion, embarked upon a genocidal process. They’ve declined to negotiate for the release of hostages, and they have even shot three of them themselves. They have possibly killed many others with their indiscriminate bombing of Gaza.

Now, Israel has savagely murdered Palestinians in Rafah, while Benjamin Netanyahu claims it was another tragic error. Israel has since announced an inquiry and apologised. Surely, he takes cynicism to new depths. We can’t keep supporting these atrocities. We must remember that Hamas cares as little for Palestinians as does Israel.

Who will speak for Palestinians – who?

Beryl Wall

Chiswick