Stressed out Public Servants

Stressed out public servants

Apparently, claims for compensation from Australian Public Servants has risen significantly and many employees have claimed emotional stress and 'psychic injury' as the cause.

Here are some of the examples:

The Administrative Appeals Tribunal ruled the coffee-shop biff was not work-related - but still awarded compo for "psychological injury'', due to the man's perception that colleagues were "ganging up'' on him at work

.* An Austrade grants auditor was paid compensation for "adjustment disorder'' and "depressed mood''. She complained after a manager told her that grant applicants where having difficulty understanding her, given that English was ``not her first or second language''.

* A frontline Centrelink staffer was compensated for "adjustment disorder'' after management told her she must work more than one day a week. The woman claimed she was unable to deal with 70 per cent of enquiries, that customers often became agitated or abusive while waiting to be served, and that her team leaders often gave her "dirty looks''.

Comcare blamed the woman's stress on her personal life, but the AAT ruled the job had contributed to the ``adjustment disorder''.

* A Defence Department business manager won compensation for "anxiety arising from conflict in the workplace''.

The AAT ruled that her boss had aggravated her "adjustment disorder'' in the way he investigated other staff complaints about her ``belittling'' manner and "micromanagement''.

* An Education Department manager was compensated for "mental injury'' caused by "perceived'' bullying and harassment from a colleague who "wanted to take over her domain''.

She suffered depression and wet herself during an anxiety attack in her office. The AAT ruled that changes in her work duties had triggered an "adjustment disorder''.

Maybe I should make a 'compo' claim for every time Mr Personality gives me dirty looks when I am trying to do my job on the machine :)  In addition, he has done that to me in the past, as well as verbally and psychologically abusing me, and having the hide to put in a compo claim against me because he did something stupid, and then it backfired against him, the dimwit!!!