Kingston University is spending much effort on avoiding the problems with staff morale created by Ratty and his team of management misfits. The latest scheme, publicised by Head of Propaganda, Martin Hitman, is called The Rose Awards. Unsurprisingly the criteria for the award are wishywashy and tinged with management gabble: “outstanding customer service”, “exceptional contribution”, “best project”, “hard work”, “commitment”, “above and beyond normal roles” — you get the idea.
Behind this pretense of staff support, this facile facade of reward lies a refusal to acknowledge the good day to day work of the employees, a refusal to withdraw from the threatening posture that demands more work for less pay and introduces bullying performance management schemes like that looming over Business & Law.
But since it is awards season, Dissenter’s Blog is proud to present its own, the Goebbels Award for University Propaganda, to Martin Hitman. Well done Martin. Your certificate is in one of the bins along the Portsmouth Road.