A senior SAP Signavio supervisor is alleged to have systematically bullied, sexually harassed and manipulated feminine workers. Regardless of numerous complaints, firm administration is alleged to have taken no motion to cease him, and even promoted him.
At the least, that’s what the allegations made by 5 feminine former workers of the Berlin-based BPM division of Germany’s largest software program firm recommend, in an unique report by US information portal Bloomberg.
The brand new allegations come to gentle only a few months after the departure of former SAP CTO Jürgen Müller. He needed to resign at first of September 2024 after “inappropriate habits” at an SAP firm occasion.
Bullying, manipulation, misogyny
The 5 individuals affected instructed Bloomberg about systematic bullying by their line supervisor, which both led them to alter groups or to go away the corporate altogether. The supervisor additionally took benefit of the truth that the workers weren’t from Western Europe and didn’t converse German. In some instances, their residence standing additionally trusted their employment at SAP, in accordance with Bloomberg.
The particular allegations in opposition to the senior Signavio supervisor are wide-ranging and embrace:
- arbitrary criticism of labor outcomes with out offering concrete suggestions;
- acts of sabotage in opposition to the work of these affected;
- the unjustified project of “menial” duties;
- lies and intrigues to isolate these affected from their crew;
- verbal humiliation and discriminatory insults, and
- sexual harassment.
Regardless of quite a few complaints to the HR division, no motion was taken by SAP’s compliance division to cease the supervisor’s habits, in accordance with these affected. As a substitute, a kind of affected was suggested to search for a place exterior her crew.
Disciplinary measures have been solely taken on the finish of 2023, and the Signavio supervisor was instructed in two instances to speak with the affected workers solely through the HR division. Nevertheless, this didn’t change the supervisor’s habits, writes Bloomberg, citing conversations with the ex-employees.
Quite the opposite, the corporate lastly promoted the accused to “Director” in mid-2024. Based on the Bloomberg report, this prompted a kind of affected to in the end hand in her discover — and submit a whistleblower report back to SAP’s compliance division. Consequently, she was instructed by two compliance officers that her allegations couldn’t be upheld and that even when they have been, the supervisor had not violated SAP insurance policies. Earlier than the worker left Signavio, she additionally summarized the allegations in opposition to her supervisor in an e-mail and despatched it to 62 feminine colleagues within the firm. Neither SAP nor the supervisor himself wished to touch upon the allegations to Bloomberg.
SAP responded to our questions by saying solely, “We take all stories of misconduct extraordinarily critically and have a zero-tolerance coverage for harassment of any variety. SAP has a strong course of in place to research all reported allegations. If an worker’s habits isn’t consistent with our insurance policies and values, we take applicable motion instantly. We don’t touch upon particular person investigations or disciplinary issues.”
Translated from a report by our colleagues at Computerwoche.
