Kivela address Marquette Department of Health and Human Services office complaints

MARUQTTE– Employees of the Marquette Department of Health and Human Services have come forward with what they say are toxic work conditions.

Today they stood with a state representative at the Marquette County Courthouse who brought their concerns to the public.

Representative John Kivela held a press conference this afternoon where he addressed a number of complaints by employees of the MDHHS office. Kivela said that some of these complaints involved bullying, demeaning, belittling, retaliatory, and harassing behavior toward employees by managers.

The office has lost between twenty and twenty–five employees in as many months according to a report Kivela cited, costing over 1 million dollars.

In an anonymous statement, a children’s service specialist with DHS said that the behavior by management is making it difficult to work with clients and causing hardship to employees and their families.

“I would tell you that anybody who sat in that room and listened to the stories we listened to would never back down from this,” said Representative John Kivela (D–Marquette). “It is incredible; in my 10 plus years of public service I haven’t heard or seen anything of this magnitude.”

In a statement, a spokesman from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services said they are reviewing concerns expressed by employees at the Marquette County office and will take appropriate action when a full evaluation is completed.