Shocking New York Times Report Exposes De Blasio's "Hostile" Work Environment

Shocking New York Times Report Exposes De Blasio’s “Hostile” Work Environment

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has a reputation for being difficult with the public and other politicians. Now a devastating New York Times story has exposed that female employees in the Mayor’s office have also had a tough time dealing with him. The result of that being that many senior women have quit: […]

May 30, 2017

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has a reputation for being difficult with the public and other politicians. Now a devastating New York Times story has exposed that female employees in the Mayor’s office have also had a tough time dealing with him. The result of that being that many senior women have quit:

“But now, as he seeks re-election in November, Mr. de Blasio has seen a puzzling exodus of female talent. Thirty-one high-level officials hired by Mr. de Blasio have left City Hall since he took office in 2014. Of those, 22 were women, more than twice the number of men who left. The gender imbalance of the departures has raised questions as to why so many women, including many who are black or Hispanic, have jumped ship on a mayor seen as welcoming to women and minorities.”

One factor cited in the incendiary New York Times report is that de Blasio’s “condescending tone” and habit of “berating or belittling subordinates” has precipitated this mass exodus:

“Another factor cited by some who frequently dealt with the mayor involved his personality; he often lectures his staff during meetings in what people describe as a condescending tone, and he is known for berating or belittling subordinates in front of others or shooting off emails criticizing them in brusque terms. Nearly everyone experiences this, the women said, but they suggested that women may have less patience.”

Even more shocking, some female employees in the Mayor’s office said they left as a direct result of an office environment that was “directly hostile to women”:

“But some found the work environment at City Hall directly hostile to women. ‘I just found it to be a totally inhospitable workplace,’ said Lindsay Scola, Mr. de Blasio’s former scheduler, who had previously worked with the former first lady, Michelle Obama, and the Energy Department. Ms. Scola and two other women recounted repeated instances where they felt they were marginalized or talked down to by a male colleague, because they were women. Ms. Scola said she was once told that her ‘job was to hold time on the Outlook calendar and nothing else, like I was a little girl.’”

Even worse, one of de Blasio’s former employees alleges that Mayor de Blasio “was aware of the behavior and ‘knowingly tolerated it.’”

Maybe Mayor de Blasio should spent less time focusing on his national political career, and more time ensuring that the women who work for him don’t encounter a “hostile” work environment.