A mother of two from Melbourne’s north took her own life after The Good Guys “let everyone down” by failing to properly handle her bullying complaints.
Coroner Audrey Jamieson issued the scathing criticism last Thursday, when she released her findings into the death of Natasha Stojkoski, who died in Thomastown almost five years ago.
Jamieson found there was “clear and cogent evidence of a causal connection” between the deterioration of Stojkoski’s mental health and her workplace injury, the perception of bullying and her employer’s response.
“They – The Good Guys – let everyone down,” the coroner wrote. “Significantly, they let Natasha down.”
Stojkoski, the daughter of Macedonian immigrants and a passionate Richmond fan, died on Orthodox Easter in 2021, two days before her 39th birthday. She had lunch and dinner with family and friends before she disappeared as her husband George put their children to bed.
A frantic search began, and police were heading to the family home when they heard a pedestrian had died about 400 metres north of Thomastown railway station.
“George, who was driving around looking for his wife, also came upon the scene having seen the red and blue lights and fearing the worst,” the coronial finding said.
“Speaking to police and providing a description, Natasha was identified as the pedestrian struck.”
The inquest into Stojkoski’s death was dominated by disagreement over how closely her perception of bullying at The Good Guys was linked to her suicide.
The coroner initially referred allegations to WorkSafe and the Director of Public Prosecutions, believing an indictable offence might have been committed.
However, the white goods retailer was not prosecuted.
The coroner concluded she could not make a finding to the requisite standard that Stojkoski’s death was preventable.
But she blasted The Good Guys’ disappointing conduct during the investigation.
“I often felt that they were attempting to hamper my investigation, rather than assist me to reach a position where I could comfortably discharge my statutory obligations,” she said.
Stojkoski was employed as a sales assistant at The Good Guys in Thomastown in May 2009. Her experience at work was unremarkable until an accident in October 2018.
Stojkoski was using a work vehicle to reach high shelves when she collided with an overhanging bulkhead, resulting in her being “crushed underneath the wall” for up to 10 seconds, according to the coroner.
She freed herself and continued to work, but a colleague said she appeared shocked and went home in pain that never completely disappeared.
The coroner found Stojkoski then suffered a “disproportionate” psychological response to the incident as she felt five colleagues bullied and isolated her when she returned to work and couldn’t complete all her usual tasks.
She complained to the store manager through tears, and the manager later told the Coroners Court that he raised the issue with the alleged perpetrators. They denied bullying, and some expressed frustration with Stojkoski, claiming she was “taking advantage of the situation” and not “pulling her weight” at work.
The coroner said the store manager started “with the best of intentions” to resolve complaints quickly, but became frustrated and suspicious before concluding Stojkoski was partly to blame.
“They confabulated her complaints of bullying with others’ perception of her performance, effectively contributing to Natasha Stojkoski’s feelings of isolation and despair,” the coroner found.
Dr Gregory White, a court-appointed expert psychiatrist, told the inquest it was “dreadful” and “akin to victim blaming” to ask Stojkoski to meet four alleged bullies and informally resolve their differences.
A senior human resources manager at the company was also criticised for taking part in “a form of filibustering” by claiming she lacked detail to investigate Stojkoski’s complaints despite being told about them in several emails and a 45-minute phone call.
The harshest criticism was saved for the senior leadership of The Good Guys, whom the coroner said had failed their two managers, as well as Stojkoski.
“The circumstances surrounding the handling of Natasha’s allegations of bullying cause me great disquiet,” Jamieson said.
The coroner recommended that the retailer develop new policies for handling group bullying allegations.
The company declined to comment when contacted by The Age.
If you or anyone you know needs support, call Lifeline on 131 114 or Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636.
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Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: www.smh.com.au
