The grieving parents of an employee of the Ministry of Finance who took her own life have questioned why her manager ‘ambushed’ her over ‘office gossip’ during a meeting that ultimately led to her death.
Chloe Moffat, 26, died on May 20 last year after being dragged into a meeting with senior staff and accused of sharing sensitive information about her colleagues.
A coroner ruled earlier this month that the Ministry of Finance had done so ‘materially contributed’ to Ms Moffat’s death by failing to follow her own HR procedures.
Staff had failed to reassure the PA, who had an “exemplary employment record” of almost three years, that she was unlikely to lose her job.
Now her parents have spoken out about the way their daughter was treated by her employer over the ‘irritating’ claims.
The ambitious politics graduate – who had excitedly planned a holiday with her sister Alice before her death – attended what she believed was a routine meeting with her line manager on May 19 last year.
But instead she was met by both her line manager and a senior manager who told her she had been accused of sharing confidential information with other staff.
Her parents Anne and David have since revealed the allegations, which involved discussing a colleague’s job change, a relationship between two colleagues and staff salaries.
The grieving parents of Chancellor of the Exchequer Chloe Moffat have questioned why her manager ‘ambushed’ her over ‘office gossip’ during a meeting that ultimately led to her death
A coroner ruled earlier this month that the Treasury ‘materially contributed’ to Ms Moffat’s death by failing to follow its own HR procedures
During the meeting, Ms Moffat asked several times if her job was at risk and if she could be supported by a friend – but both requests were rejected.
When asked by a tearful Ms Moffat whether she would lose her job, the senior manager said she ‘couldn’t predict the outcome at this stage’.
As details of the allegations and the encounter emerged, her parents said they were both left with more questions than answers.
Anne, former head of care at a children’s hospice, told us The times: ‘When her line manager heard them she said they didn’t sound like the Chloe she knew.
“Then why would you ambush her with a meeting like this, without considering whether they were vexatious, unfounded, or simply untrue?”
Her husband David was also baffled by the circumstances surrounding claims which amounted to nothing more than ‘office gossip’.
He said: ‘After her death, when we were trying to find out how bad the complaints had been about calling a meeting like this that led to Chloe taking the drastic action she did, we finally saw the allegations and thought, ‘Was that it?’
A coroner has since ruled that the way the meeting was conducted did not comply with Treasury disciplinary policy, which would have made it clear that Ms Moffat was likely to receive at most a written warning if the allegations were proven.
It was unlikely she would be fired.
When she left the meeting, Ms Moffat discovered she no longer had access to her emails. She was also told not to mention the allegations to colleagues.
She messaged a friend: “I’m getting fired.” She met the same friend in central London, where she ‘burst into tears’ and was ‘saddened’.
Property director David Moffat said he believes Ms Moffat felt “destroyed” by the meeting
The distressed PA, who lived in Brixton, south London, also called her mother, who was in France at the time. During their conversation it became clear that she was convinced she would lose her job.
Mrs Moffat traveled that evening to the family home in Godalming, Surrey, where she and her father discussed their plans to visit Oxford this weekend.
But the next day the real estate director found his daughter dead. The medical cause of death was given as suicide.
Her heartbroken father believes Mrs Moffat was so devastated by the events at work that she believed her life had been ‘destroyed’.
Assistant coroner Anna Crawford said the young civil servant’s state of mind, fearing she would lose her job, likely contributed to the decision to commit suicide.
Ms Moffat’s parents said they are unsure whether they will take further action against the government but say they want “redress”.
A report to prevent future deaths, prepared by the coroner, has been sent to the Treasury and the head of the civil service, Dame Antonia Romeo.
The Treasury previously said it was “carefully considering” the coroner’s findings, adding that it has made improvements to the way it supports the welfare of colleagues accused of misconduct.
It is clear that the findings are not disputed.
A spokesperson told the Daily Mail earlier this week: ‘The Treasury’s deepest condolences continue to go out to Chloe’s friends and family, and the Department continues to mourn our colleague.
“We will learn lessons from this tragedy. We are working urgently to respond to the coroner’s findings and we have made immediate changes to our guidance, support and welfare arrangements.
“Chloe’s parents have agreed to meet with us so that we can hear their views and inform the actions the department is taking.”
