Complaints in Bootle, and correction

Labour MP Bill Esterson is having another go at A4e.  Not long ago he ran a complaint on his website from a man who had been referred to A4e and said that they "run a campaign of intimidation and undermine any self-confidence you may have."  The story was marred slightly by mention of a 50-page contract; but the gist of it was clear enough.  Now Esterson returns to the attack with an account from a 48-year-old woman who " was left so angry at the scheme, she has turned to her Labour MP for help to 'expose the disgraceful practices of A4e'." 
What seems to have happened is that an induction in Bootle was a shambles, with no one knowing what to do with the clients but treating them like naughty children or criminals.  The woman "was introduced to a placement work advisor who proceeded to talk to the group like a primary school teacher addressing a group of six year olds. We were told to 'shut up, sit down, don't speak, put your hands down, you can't ask questions and don't speak over me'. She then proceeded to bring in a team of health workers  and told me in front of the group that I should have a chlamydia test, there and then."  She said that the atmosphere was so confrontational that it was dangerous, and that the experience was humiliating for people who were already likely to be suffering from depression and lack of confidence.  The MP says he getting a lot of similar complaints about A4e and wants an investigation into its practices.
There's always another side to a story like this so we have to be cautious.  But how can a company alienate people so comprehensively on their first day?  Lack of organisation is one thing; but staff attitudes towards clients are fundamental.  And they come from management.

Another MP, Fiona Mactaggart, has been asking every department of government what contracts it has with A4e.  The Department of Defence said, "None".  But now they've issued a correction.  "The Ministry of Defence has one contract with A4e. This is for the provision of a trial of early leaver services, to assist service personnel leaving the armed forces with their transition back into civilian life. The contract is for a period of 12 months, commencing February 2012, and has a nil value contract management fee."  (Does that last bit mean that it's payment by results?)

Reputations

The Daily Mail has "updated" its article about A4e being the preferred bidder for the EHRC helpline contract.  The amendment seems to consist of the insertion of: "A Home Office spokesman said: ‘A4e have no contracts with the Home Office or its executive agencies.  The procurement process for the Equality Advisory and Support service is ongoing and A4e have not been made the preferred bidder for this contract.’"  So the Home Office is denying the whole story.  It will be interesting to see what happens in the end.    
At the same time a Labour MP, Bill Esterson, has used his own website to call A4e "a Victorian workhouse scam".  His constituent, 50-year-old Philip Hammond, has been with A4e for 14 months.  He says: "A4e is bullying people at a time when they need support. They run a campaign of intimidation and undermine any self confidence you may have in yourself."  He is particularly incensed by the 50-page contract people have to sign which gives A4e the right to monitor them for two years.  He regards this as forcing people to sign away their human rights.  The MP supports all this.  
Okay, this is politics, and somewhat over the top.  But an article in the Telegraph yesterday shows that the government is squirming about the whole subject of fraud in the W2W field.  Margaret Hodge, chair of the PAC, is pursuing the fact that Cameron had announced that there had been 125 cases of "alleged wrongdoing".  Only 11 of those related to A4e.  She wants the details of the others disclosed, and a Tory MP has supported her.  Chris Grayling has said that most of the 125 cases were not really fraud, but a few of them were down to "employee malpractice".  The DWP is still deciding whether to publish the details.  Meanwhile, reports the Telegraph, "the National Audit Office is conducting an internal inquiry into the DWP’s approach to investigating allegations of fraud across providers in the back-to-work sector.  The findings of that inquiry will feed into a PAC evidence session on May 23."

It's against this background that A4e's new PR people are trying to rehabilitate the company's reputation.  I suspect it won't be about planting more of the good news stories in the local press.  George Bridges and his colleagues from Quiller Consultants are more likely to be lobbying politicians.  Disclosures of wrongdoing by other companies are helpful.