The mother of a young woman who took her own life after facing disciplinary proceedings at the Treasury has called on the government department to change its practices.
Chloe Moffat, 26, had worked at the Treasury as a personal assistant for almost three years. She “loved her job” and had an “exemplary employment record”, the coroner at her inquest heard this week.
She was in line for promotion, and awarded a bonus for good work, which she never heard about before her death.
At the inquest at the Surrey coroners’ court, witnesses said Moffat was driven to “distress” by a meeting about an anonymous complaint at work. During the disciplinary process, the court heard, she was not reassured that her job was safe, even though she was unlikely to be dismissed, and that she was not allowed to have a third party of her choice in the meeting.
The process left her “devastated” and convinced she had lost her job. The day after the meeting, Moffat killed herself.
Her mother, Anne, said: “The evidence establishes a clear sequence of events. Had Chloe been properly supported and advised of her rights before the meeting, she would not have been so devastated and isolated.”
She is calling for the Treasury to “require an assessment of employees’ mental welfare in disciplinary proceedings” and that “where serious or gross misconduct is alleged, the matter is treated as formal from the outset and the accused is informed of their rights”.
The court heard that Moffat was called into a meeting with her line manager and a senior manager, the Treasury’s head of global issues. She was not given prior notice of the meeting’s subject or of the senior manager’s attendance.
At the meeting, Moffat was told there had been an anonymous complaint made that she had shared confidential information about colleagues, which she had access to because she ran her director’s email inbox. She was told her access to her director’s diary and email would be temporarily removed.
The senior manager told the court that Moffat asked whether she would lose her job. “I said I couldn’t predict any outcome of any potential investigation,” she said.
Moffat’s line manager said she was “shocked, crying at points, distressed, overwhelmed” during the meeting. The court heard that Moffat also asked for her best friend at work, Helena Cawley, at various points during the meeting. “We felt this would be inappropriate,” the senior manager said.
The court heard her line manager had been assigned as Moffat’s “pastoral care” despite her direct oversight role, and that she was told not to speak to friends about the allegations and potential investigation.
Asked by the coroner Anna Crawford why Moffat was not offered a friend, trade union representative or other colleague in the meeting, the senior manager said: “Any alternative attendee would have made the meeting feel more formal.”
The coroner also asked: “Given these allegations, that were potentially serious, were going to be raised with her, was any consideration given to notifying her so she could prepare herself, seek support and respond?”
The senior manager answered: “No, this could cause unnecessary stress.”
She added that Moffat denied the allegations and so she “started to draft a letter” notifying Moffat of a formal investigation. “I was going to wait to send it until [the line manager] and I had spoken to Chloe to see how she was,” she said. Moffat died the following day.
Friends and family of Moffat say she was “convinced” she was going to be dismissed. Cawley said she received a text from Moffat shortly after this meeting, which read: “Helena, I am going to be fired.” They met in St James’s Park, in central London, where Moffat “broke down crying”.
Cawley told the inquest that she “reassured Chloe, but she remained distressed” and was “incredibly concerned about the reputational impact” of the allegations.
Moffat “took great pride in her work” and “fixed everyone’s problems”, according to friends. “She never made a mistake,” one colleague noted.
Many friends attended the coroner’s court in support of Moffat. One told the Guardian that she “never told a boring story or wore a boring outfit”.
The Treasury is changing its disciplinary proceedings as a result of Moffat’s death. Karen McDermott, a senior HR adviser at the department, said the Treasury was piloting new advice for staff dealing with disciplinary matters. Lawyers acting for the Treasury added that managers were receiving additional training.
Moffat’s parents asked whether it was appropriate that she was not told she was unlikely to lose her job, given that she was in such distress. Laura Mcarthur, a senior HR business partner at the Treasury, told the inquest that to do so would have been “unhelpful” at that stage.
Asked if she would have done anything differently, Moffat’s line manager told the court: “No, I think we did all we could at the time with the information and advice we were given.”
Anne Moffat said: “Our hope is that lessons will be learned. The risks must be recognised so no other family will experience a loss like this.”
The inquest continues.
In the UK, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123 and the domestic abuse helpline is 0808 2000 247. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is on 13 11 14 and the national family violence counselling service is on 1800 737 732. In the US, the suicide prevention lifeline is 1-800-273-8255 and the domestic violence hotline is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). Other international helplines can be found via www.befrienders.org
