Child Development Services has been struggling to pay some of its contractors on time, and the Maine Department of Education is blaming it on staff turnover, but a former employee says that’s not the full story. Dawn Ellis worked in accounts payable for eight years. She went on a mental health leave back in early October, claiming that mismanagement within the department and an unrealistic workload drove her out of a job she once loved. “I was left the only person that could process payments when my boss retired; it was just me, which was the part that I was trying to get them to understand,” said Ellis. “That was too much for one person.”CDS works with roughly 1,000 contractors who provide speech, behavioral and physical therapy for kids younger than five. Ellis’ boss retired on Oct. 4. DOE spokesperson Chloe Teboe called it a “long-planned retirement,” but by the time her last day came around, the position was still unfilled. Ellis claims a temporary mid-level manager who’s been working remotely from out-of-state didn’t prioritize training or prepare for that supervisor’s departure and criticizes employees so aggressively that it’s created a toxic work environment. “She would tell us that we weren’t doing it right; it shouldn’t take that long,” said Ellis. “I think I went to HR every day the next week and said: ‘I’m not going to be able to do this.'”Ellis says the stress leading up to the transition caused her to start have debilitating panic attacks. Just days after her supervisor retired, she went on a mental health leave, and some of the checks didn’t go out. “It wasn’t just a turnover,” said Ellis. “It wasn’t. It was a major event in my life that, I mean, they made it sound like somebody went on maternity leave or got a better job, and that hurt my feelings.”Teboe says the last of the late payments were sent out last Wednesday, more than two months after Ellis went on leave. She claims they addressed the staffing issues immediately by hiring temporary workers and that they’re re-evaluating their existing policies to work more efficiently, but Ellis says reliance on temporary workers is part of the problem.
Child Development Services has been struggling to pay some of its contractors on time, and the Maine Department of Education is blaming it on staff turnover, but a former employee says that’s not the full story.
Dawn Ellis worked in accounts payable for eight years. She went on a mental health leave back in early October, claiming that mismanagement within the department and an unrealistic workload drove her out of a job she once loved.
“I was left the only person that could process payments when my boss retired; it was just me, which was the part that I was trying to get them to understand,” said Ellis. “That was too much for one person.”
CDS works with roughly 1,000 contractors who provide speech, behavioral and physical therapy for kids younger than five.
Ellis’ boss retired on Oct. 4. DOE spokesperson Chloe Teboe called it a “long-planned retirement,” but by the time her last day came around, the position was still unfilled.
Ellis claims a temporary mid-level manager who’s been working remotely from out-of-state didn’t prioritize training or prepare for that supervisor’s departure and criticizes employees so aggressively that it’s created a toxic work environment.
“She would tell us that we weren’t doing it right; it shouldn’t take that long,” said Ellis. “I think I went to HR every day the next week and said: ‘I’m not going to be able to do this.'”
Ellis says the stress leading up to the transition caused her to start have debilitating panic attacks. Just days after her supervisor retired, she went on a mental health leave, and some of the checks didn’t go out.
“It wasn’t just a turnover,” said Ellis. “It wasn’t. It was a major event in my life that, I mean, they made it sound like somebody went on maternity leave or got a better job, and that hurt my feelings.”
Teboe says the last of the late payments were sent out last Wednesday, more than two months after Ellis went on leave. She claims they addressed the staffing issues immediately by hiring temporary workers and that they’re re-evaluating their existing policies to work more efficiently, but Ellis says reliance on temporary workers is part of the problem.
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