The new chief executive, is determined to turn things round. The senior managers Christmas meal was an early casualty of the new regime. "We have nothing to celebrate and it would send out the wrong message to the public if senior managers were seen to be partying when the organisation has so much to put right". "When we improve performance and get the budget back on track then we will celebrate." More controversial is the expectation that all managers should follow the example set by senior management. A member of staff said what this means in reality is no team Christmas meals out if the team manager can't attend. A colleague said we will make do with a mice pie at our last team meeting before Christmas. A member of the senior management team who asked not to be named said that most of his colleagues did not mind that the Christmas meal out had been cancelled. " To be honest I was dreading it, the conversation would have been work dominated, the chief executive would given us another of those speeches telling us that we have to better much better in 2018, no one would be able to relax in his presence as no ones future is secure and everyone is so careful not to say the wrong thing. But all my colleagues are very upset by the chief executives insistence that all senior managers are in work between Christmas and New year. There really is no need for this but clearly the chief executive sees it as symbolic and has arranged senior management team meetings, to formulate forensic action plans for the way forward".
When contacted by the local media to confirm whether Christmas had indeed been cancelled the Chief executive Ebenezer Scrooge said," Christmas, bah humbug".
Blair McPherson former director of community services www.blairmcpherson.co.uk
