An Open Letter to BKC Recruitment

Originally Posted on BKC Teacher's Forum

An open letter to Recruitment

Dear ladies,

I think it is clear to all and sundry that the whole issue of salary rates and contracts has been mishandled. Handled with all the finesse of a sledgehammer, one might say. Why this was so, is open to debate. Some say it is a cultural difference, some say it is down to the nature of the personalities in charge, while others simply do not have a rational explanation for the sheer scale of the amateurism displayed. So, if I may, let me, in all humility, enlighten you as to how such a delicate matter should have been dealt with.

First of all, more open communication and transparency would have been a good thing. A very simple, yet effective approach would have involved setting up a meeting, a crisis meeting if you will, and then informing staff of measures that needed to be taken. Just by telling teachers that because of the economic situation, BKC is not in a position to pay full salaries as stipulated in the contract - this would have cleared the air and prevented a lot of anger. Admitting that this was an extraordinary situation requiring extraordinary responses would not be a surprise to anybody.

Then, you could have offered anyone who was not happy with this situation an early, amicable termination of their contract, with pro-rata benefits etc. This would have the double advantage of empowering staff to make their own informed decisions, and allowed BKC to reduce staff in an honest, transparent way.

Next, regarding terminations, this should have been done in a transparent way too, with the rationale clear to all involved, e.g. last in first out or whatever.

Most importantly of all, if there had been a uniform position taken by all members of recruitment, a single party line, then there may have been some trust fostered. But there wasn't.

Having failed to do anything seen as even remotely fair, you have incurred the wrath of usually easy-going staff. Nobody likes it when contracts are torn up without consultation, and without regard to the law. Nobody will stay in a company where there is a secret hit-list that unfairly victimizes some members. Nobody will work without knowing what their rate of pay is, and nobody trusts a company that issues mixed signals about basic information like said rates, e.g. Bonderov says 32, Tatyana says 30.

I think if you had done things the way described above, there would not be so much ill-will and seething resentment now in our school. But the damage has been done, and there is little chance of it being healed. As for me, I believe that this is of no interest to the personalities in charge, as they simply want to thin out the staff numbers at any cost. Fair enough, but it will cost you far more than you think. Already the bad press from a few years ago is repeating itself on external forums. Your reputation is taking a nosedive. Nobody trusts a word you say anymore.