Thursday 25 October 2012

Bullied?

She was "bullied out of A4e".  That's the headline phrase in the Press Association piece on last night's Emma Harrison interview, and it's been taken up by many of the reports.  Harrison is a savvy enough media operator to know that if she used the word enough it would become the story.  But bullied by whom?  Did she say "political types"?  Does that mean the members of the Public Accounts Committee who objected to her £8.6m dividend?  Or were there people in government who told her to go?  I don't know, and don't particularly care.  To respond to questions on the failure of her company to fulfil its contract by claiming to have been bullied was only one bizarre aspect of this interview.  Of course, if her children were bullied after the revelations, that's regrettable.  And it was sad that innocent employees were caught up in it.  But most people would have struggled to work up any sympathy for Harrison herself.
Much else was odd.  She kept insisting that the figures Channel 4 had (from a "reliable source", said Jackie Long) were wrong, but said she didn't know what the right figures were.  If she'd said, correctly, that they were not allowed to disclose the true figures; or if she'd fudged it, as the company did; then that might have been the end of it.  But she went from saying that the figures were wrong to accusing the interviewer of bullying her and from there to saying that the programme was making up stories about her for political reasons.
Guru-Murthy kept bringing it back to the facts, but Harrison responded by virtually calling one of the clients a liar.  She had invested "£50m of her own money" in the Work Programme.  Jaws dropped at that point.  The design of the WP meant that providers had to be able to finance it before they got any money back.  Whatever bank account A4e's finance came out of, it is difficult to see it as Harrison's own money.  But that was the tone of her responses from then on.  She hadn't expected the interview to be so unsympathetic, it seems, and was angry.  The Work Programme was the most successful they'd ever run.  And she herself had helped tens of thousands into work.  People came up to her in the street to thank her.  She had just been "useful to have a go at".
This was about the failure of the Work Programme, and it could be thought that it became about Emma Harrison instead.  It was her name that was trending on Twitter late last night, and people were calling it a "car crash" for her.  Now we have to wait for the official figures.

23 comments:

  1. I can't believe the rubbish she came out with, she insisted the figure's were wrong but she admitted that she didn't actually know the figures herself.

    That makes no sense whatsoever.

    She feels like she's being bullied? try talking to the thousands of unemployed I suspect have been bullied by A4E into following a path that results in nothing other than to make A4E money out of the DWP.

    Nice to see her quaking in her boots for change, because thats what happens to the unemployed on the Work Programme, and not just at A4E but at all the other Private Providers as well such as Ingeus, Interserve, Seetec etc.

    Nice one Channel 4 News, keep it up.

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  2. Emma Harrison reminds me of a child,who got caught knocking over a vase and just repeats "I didn't do it" Who are you going to believe Me or your lying eyes? I recall when she took the £8.6 Million dividend,and her response was something like,I deserve it and have taken a lot of personal risk,fair enough,but you have never met your targets,has she ever returned the Taxpayers money? Most of her "Fortune" has been made on the backs of the Taxpayer and the unemployed,she quotes that tens of thousands have been helped back to work,over what period of time and at what cost?

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  3. I agree. Harrison looked exasperated, confused, flummoxed and generally uncomfortable. She seems incapable of answering basic questions. Remember Benefit Busters also on Ch4, when the journalist asked her as the best way of getting people back into to work. Harrison’s answer was “ I don’t know, I’m not an expert”!!!

    There is a saying that a rat can be most dangerous when it is cornered. It will spring forward and attack its pursuer as it has nowhere else left to run or hide. Well, this analogy suits Harrison perfectly. She has decided the best form of defence is attack. And attack she did. Criticise her company and you are a bully. Criticise her company’s poor results and you are a bully. Highlight Harrisons OWN failure to produce clear facts and figures and you are a bully.

    Last evenings interview was a hopeless attempt by Harrison to put a positive spin on A4e’s failures and at the same time try to turn herself into some kind of martyr. Most of the responses I have seen so far have been negative.

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  4. I have never met anyone who has had a positive experience with a4e,and as for people thanking emma harison in the street, or anywhere for that matter, i find very hard to believe. I and many others were bullied by A4e And other providers such as Avanta who are bent on benefit sanctions for very questionable reasons in order to secure their bloated fees,how can these fees be justified? as the wages on offer will take about 10 years to generate tax to cover the initial tax payer outlay,

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  5. If Emma Harrison wants to give me £8.6m I can handle all the bullying she or anyone else wants to give me!

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  6. I thought I had slipped into some sort of parallel universe - the Blessed One complaining about being bullied? I had to pinch myself - to no avail - it was really happening. There is no doubt that her performance was lamentable and her judgement in putting herself forward to defend A4e even worse. Sympathy for a woman that has amassed an enormous fortune at taxpayers' expense is, and will continue to be, in very short supply - especially when the taxpayer has forked out billions for a service which just isn't being delivered. There seems little doubt that A4e's stats will be poor. I doubt they will be alone. My guess is that all of the primes will have dreadful performance with none reaching the required performance levels specified in the original ITT. What then? Does business get redirected from the most abysmal performers to those that are merely grossly inefficient?
    Enemma is an easy target, and Channel 4 scored some hits, but the work programme rolls on, the cash continues to flow out of the exchequer and into private pockets and purses and the unemployed continue to be vilified for something which is not their fault.
    Keep up the good work C4.

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  7. Unsurprisingly, I'm having to reject comments which stray (or dive) over the edge of politeness. Please remember that we don't do personal abuse.

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  8. The lacklustre response from A4e to last nights car crash:

    http://www.mya4e.com/2012/10/24/a4e-statement-on-information-leak/

    They insist the data highlighted by Ch4 was "out of date" and is not and "is not data we recognise".

    This bit is interesting though - "We have an active programme which seeks feedback from customers on our programmes". So when Harrison flatly stated the chap who said he was seen for all of 15 minutes was an "improbable statement", how is THIS seeking feedback? Why not deal with his concerns?

    This is similar to the email conversation I had with Harrison a couple of years ago. Her response to my feedback and concerns was "it takes all sorts". This is both condescending and dismissive. This goes a long way to explaining why many current and ex clients have major issues with both Harrison and A4e.

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    1. "We have an active programme which seeks feedback from customers on our programmes".

      This is true - they have little forms you can fill out, plus they occasionally do anonymous random samples of clients; of course nowhere do they say they will do anything about any problems you may have.

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  9. My own impression is that the Upper Echelons at A4E probably have been trying to improve the culture within A4E, but probably only since Emma Harrison's resignation in February 2012.

    My feeling, though, is that the remaining Directors are trapped. Emma Harrison continues to own nearly 90% of the business. Therefore to contradict & change whatever she believes is the right way to go about running the business is almost impossible to do, it seems to me.

    Also, I don't think that this company is sophisticated enough to be able to change its culture enough to enable it to deliver on its promises. When you look at the line-up of Top Brass on A4E's website, it does not look impressive to me:

    http://www.mya4e.com/about/senior-team/

    I suspect that it is impossible to float this company in order to get some new blood into it by that means and also to dilute Emma Harrison's own shareholding right down.

    From what she told KGM last night, I'm wondering whether this business is really too highly-geared and, if it is, where is the debt secured? Thornbridge Hall is not worth anything like as much as £50 million.

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    1. She'd be lucky to get the £8.6m she 'awarded' herself with for thornbridge hall, I reckon.

      The money she'd have 'loaned' wouuld've been for for more office space, outdated computers & office equipment to go in them etc. All to persuade her Govt. paymasters she could cope, and thereby secure lucrative contracts.

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    2. I think in her deluded mind the £50 Million actually came from the attachment fees and she feels that actually investing this in the unemployed is not what she had in mind.Today I went to my WP appointment(not A4E) and I was informed that from now on I will be seen once a month for 30 minutes,signed a new "contract" that requires that I perform 28 Job searches monthly,these MUST be positions that are unskilled and require no qualifications,I am still allowed to apply for any other positions that are suitable but the 28 unskilled are mandatory...Has panic set in? or as I asked my adviser "Have I just been parked?" No reply other than see you in a month(actually a decent guy,he was not happy)

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  10. Bullied,a word that can mean a lot of different things,did KGM come on too strong or did he just ask questions that came to close to the truth? I am no fan of Emma Harrison and her replies were also "Bullying" in the sense that she never answered any of the questions posed,was she under the impression that she was going to be asked soft questions? Part of the problem is that there are so few facts known about the WP,even as a participant in the programme,I have asked what do you offer? never an honest and open answer,just evasive replies that have no substance.If there is any blame to be passed on about the attitude of people toward the WP it lies with the DWP and all the main Providers they set the stage,not the unemployed.

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  11. I was a client at A4e and although it was not pleasant to be on work programme I have to admit that I did in fact get a job through them and with their help in getting ready for interviews. They also paid for clothes and train tickets for my first 2 weeks at work and i nneded it. Maybe I am the exception.

    it is not pleasant being unemployed, it was the worst time in my life and its not always pleasant having to talk about it either. But they helped me a lot more than Job Center and I really cant complain. They even called me up a few weeks ago to ask if I needed anything and how it was going. That was a bit annoying but no one at job center ever called me for anything.

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    1. When they're (a4e) on a promise of £thousands for you entering employment; and then get further lucrative payments, it's hardly surprisin' they're interested in how you're gettin' on.

      They've (a4e) never helped me with clothes for interview (I've only had two since being with them - and one of them was off my own bat) although they have reimbursed my travel expenses, although the jobcentre used to do that anyway!

      It certainly sounds to me like you ARE the exception.

      By the way, did you get a 'job grant' from the jobcentre when you started your job??

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  12. In all my years I have never seen an interview quite like the one with Emma Harrison on Channel4. It appears as if she is having a serious breakdown. Verbally attacking the interviewer and the board of A4e. This millionare is a serious shareholder in a company who has major government contracts. Does the government not vet these people before awarding such contracts. This is a company whos irratic actions can serious effect the benefits of thousands of (Financially Poor)Jobseekers. They keep changing systems with little or no explaination or notice. After this interview would you give Emma Harrison a job ? What a fine example of keeping kool during interviews ? Maybe she should attend a course on interview techniques at A4e herself.

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  13. It's disappointing that the majority of the media are today ignoring the failure of the W2W programme and focusing primarily on Emma's claims that she was bullied out of A4e.

    Hopefully they will focus on what matters next month when the official results are released.

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  14. Dear Historian,

    I've just watched the recent Channel 4 interview of Emma Harrison.

    I have two questions: 1) Do you think if the other providers statistics are as abysmal as A4E that the Work Programme can survive; and, 2) What sort of programme would help the long term unemployed back into employment?

    I hope you will consider my questions and respond to them.

    Yours sincerely,

    A. Nonymous

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  15. Emma Harrison think's she was bullied, I have been bullied. At A4e I have been bullied, I told the Trainer, don't bully me, his relpy, that's what I am paid to do. Let her get a taste of her own training to her then employees, see how she feels. I think, people on the work programme with a4e,should be interviewed on the tv like her,tobe able to tell their feeling about a4e. They are big one big bullyies outfit, to say the least.

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  16. Same for me! a4e are supposed to support people into work. But they use bully tactics. Advisors now shout out at the top of their voices."Sanctions are now 1 month for first offence! its as if they want to find the slightest thing wrong so they can sanction people. Where is the support back into work sitting people down looking at the same papers(most of which are out of date)and job websites which can be viewed at home,they get paid by the government for this?

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  17. I am with A4E at the moment the company said to me buy your clothes and we will refund your money back into your bank account so i bought my clothes and went of to the interview the next morning my partner got a call from them sayning they will not give our money back because she did not have an interview i then spoke to them on the phone and they procceded to tell me that i could not get my money back stating that i had rung up for my partner and me i did not and then they said that i had scuppered my interview becuase my partner was there i then rang the employer up and asked wether he had said that he said he had not so why do A4E lie like that and when they are faced with such questions face to face they shout it so all the poeple can here what they are sayng.

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    1. I'm confused by this. If there has been a mistake made you need to put it in writing (no offence, but get someone to check it for you) and put in a formal complaint to A4e.

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