WRC recommends manager accept chairperson’s mistake over interim CEO appointment

The Workplace Relations Commission recommended that a manager accept that the board chairperson’s failure to discuss an interim chief executive appointment with him was a genuine mistake and put the issue behind him. The decision was dated 29 March 2022. The manager had complained that the not-for-profit organisation appointed an interim chief executive without advertising the role or running a recruitment process, denying him the chance to apply. The organisation said urgent work and disruption concerns justified the appointment. The adjudicator accepted that it was permitted under the recruitment policy, which said positions would be advertised on most occasions, but found the chairperson made a mistake by not communicating with the manager beforehand. The manager was no longer employed by the organisation.