“We take this very seriously, it concerns the well-being of the employees of a public company,” Géraldine Demaret, chairwoman of the board of directors of the National Lottery, told De Standaard. In February, Demaret received a letter of complaint about CEO Jannie Haek from a joint trade union front of ACV, ACOD and ACLVB. “An exceptional step,” says Demaret.
The letter denounces Haek’s behavior, reported De Tijd, which was able to view the letter. There is “unacceptable verbal abuse”, “excessive alcohol consumption” and a “toxic attitude based on fear and intimidation”. The contents of the letter were confirmed to De Standaard. In response to the complaints, Demaret started a mediation process with an external mediator.
The ex-railway CEO has been managing director of the National Lottery since 2013. In the more distant past, he worked in important ministerial socialist cabinets, including Louis Tobback and as chief of staff of Johan Vande Lanotte. The letter paints a picture of a top executive who tolerates little contradiction and starts shouting at those who try to do so. According to the union, he also regularly called employees “stupid”, according to De Tijd.
“Workaholic”
This evokes echoes of the image that newspapers painted at the time of his appointment at NMBS. Haek was said to be a “file eater”, “very intelligent”, “a workaholic” wrote De Standaard, but also “arrogant, not without cynicism, at times a bully”. He himself once said about this in De Morgen: “I was and am sometimes accused of being a person of power, a bully who is always right. That is not true. I can’t deal with conflict and arguments.”
On the work floor at the National Lottery it is said that “the intention was not to make it a public process by Jannie Haek, but to restore safety and serenity in the workplace. He has achieved very good things at the National Lottery, but that does not excuse all behavior.”
The letter is said to be intended as a ‘cry for help’, to ask the board of directors for help because Haek’s behavior towards the unions and other employees was no longer acceptable. For example, there would be “no dialogue” anymore with Haek, who adopts a “very authoritarian” attitude. For example, unions would have to “declare agreement” on certain decisions. “There is no room for discussion.”
“There is no fear of dismissal, it is about unacceptable human interactions.” For example, Haek would sometimes just start shouting if he didn’t like something. “That shocks employees.” That verbal aggression and especially the unpredictability would make the behavior toxic and unsafe. “If you know he won’t agree, you always have to be careful how you phrase something, because it can turn out wrong. He is very intelligent, how can you not realize the damage such behavior causes?”
Chairwoman Demaret does not wish to comment on the veracity of the current complaints. “The procedure is ongoing and we want to give it every chance of success. We want to improve relations.” A source close to the top indicates that “Haek can be very heavy in discussions, but correct in execution. Everyone knows he can be rude. Whether that is also toxic is another question.” An Lammens, who has worked closely with Haek at the National Lottery for a long time, stated in Het Laatste Nieuws that he “tolerates contradiction” and calls him a “man of integrity”.
De Standaard asked Haek for a response. According to the National Lottery, he cannot respond because “all participants in the mediation have signed a confidentiality clause”. An official statement states that “the union letter states that the CEO has demonstrated a form of communication that has made people feel unsafe and hurt. The managing director is aware that he has hurt people through this form of communication and will ensure that this does not happen again.” The National Lottery is already bringing forward a planned well-being survey among staff.
