Sutton’s future

The Press reports:

Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (Cera) chief executive Roger Sutton says he is considering his future after an allegation he sexually harassed a staff member.

The allegation accuses Sutton of harassing a senior female staffer, including making inappropriate jokes, comments and giving her an unwelcome hug.

A State Services Commission inquiry into the claims by a staff member is expected to deliver a finding next week. The inquiry has taken about seven weeks. …

Sutton, a flamboyant cycle-riding face of the recovery authority, said last night he could not talk about details of the complaint although The Press understands he has disputed some of the allegations or the alleged intention behind his behaviour.

“I can be a larrikin and make stupid silly jokes. It is a very difficult, stressful job and I’ve sometimes used humour to cope. I wish this wasn’t happening and I was horrified when I learned about it [the allegations],” he said.

“But I’m not the victim. I’ve made some stupid mistakes.”

One has to be careful of commenting without knowing the full details.

However I would make the point that if the issue was his general behaviour, rather than specific attention towards one staffer, it seems a pity it could not have been sorted out without a formal complaint. But maybe that was tried and got nowhere?

CERA staff need to be able to not feel harassed in the workplace, but if it is a case of misjudged humour rather than deliberate harassment, it would be a pity if it resulted in a widely respected CEO departing. But again, conclusions can be dangerous without the full facts.