The city of Atlanta’s top human resources officer, who recently re-wrote the city’s anti-bullying policy, has resigned after allegations she verbally abused her employees and may have assaulted one of them.
Human Resources Commissioner Marian Woods had been on administrative leave since June 10, pending an investigation into a confrontation she had with her executive assistant.
An investigation by the city’s law department found that Woods never physically assaulted her assistant, but the inquiry brought to light accusations that Woods created a toxic work environment. Those claims prompted a separate investigation that is still ongoing.
Meanwhile, Woods has asked to remain on the job for the next three months to complete initiatives already in progress, according to her resignation letter.
A statement from Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms’ spokesperson Michael Smith did not say if the mayor would grant the request. Smith confirmed that the Mayor had accepted Woods’ resignation, “which will be effective upon the completion of key HR projects related to transitioning the department.”
Woods had been on the job a little more than a year.
Woods is the latest of a number of high-profile departures or transfers in Bottoms’ administration.
Chief of Staff Marva Lewis resigned in January. In March, Public Safety Director George Turner announced he was leaving the city after only being on the job for six months. Last week, Bottoms in a press release said that Chief Resilience Officer Amol Naik was stepping down to take care of his ailing mother.
The statement from Bottoms’ office credited Woods with abolishing more than 600 unfunded city positions and processing the largest police pay increase in history.
The statement also suggested that second investigation could implicate other employees in the department.
“The City will continue to assess the effectiveness of the structure, operations, and staffing of the Department of Human Resources,” it said.
The investigative report obtained by Channel 2 Action News says that there was no evidence that Woods assaulted or attempted to assault her executive assistant or any other human resources employee during the June 7 confrontation between Woods and her executive assistant.
However, human resources employees told an investigator from the city’s law department that they heard shouting coming from Woods office and when they went to see what the ruckus was about, Woods’ executive assistant was gathering up her belongings and preparing to leave for the day.
When Woods tried to follow her assistant out of the commissioner’s suite, one employee blocked her path and another escorted the assistant out of office, according the report, which is dated Tuesday.
Employees also told the investigator that the assistant was shaking, yelling and crying. One was concerned about the assistant driving home in her condition.
Over the next several days, other accusations about Woods’ behavior became public.
A letter dated June 11 outlining nine alleged instances of Woods threatening employees and calling them names was delivered to Bottoms’ office and the City Council.
The letter was signed by “Concerned City of Atlanta Employees.”
At a City Council meeting the next week, labor consultant Gwendolyn Gillespie said that she was representing several clients victimized by Woods’ lack of professionalism.
“Enough is enough,” Gillespie said, citing the anonymous letter. “If any other employee that works for the city of Atlanta had behaved in that manner, you would not only have escorted them out of the building, you would have fired them if they worked as an exempt employee. A question of her returning is not an issue.”
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