State ‘Office of Employee Relations’ a misnomer

The recent revelations by the state inspector general that shed light on the shortcomings of a state agency’s handling of a domestic violence case, leading to the tragic death of the employee in a murder/suicide involving her husband, reminded me of a similar story a few years ago. In that case, a 45-year employee of the state Department of Education was placed on administrative leave in such a harsh manner that one could argue his death afterward was directly related.

The general insensitivity of these offices to the personal travails and circumstances of employees is well-known to current and former state employees, but perhaps not to the general public. Not considering, first, the health, safety and wellbeing of their employees in any disciplinary actions makes “Office of Employee Relations” a misnomer, if not a mockery of the title.

While the unionized workforce is buffered, to some extent, from their sometimes ruthless zeal to punish seemingly errant employees (thus justifying their own organizational existence), one might rightly consider, as in these cases or countless others whose stories were never told, whether an effective, efficient workforce is worth lost or shattered lives. James E. Close Mechanicville