King Charles sees 11 of his 12 submerged and underpaid gardeners “leave Highgrove on requests
A massive exodus shook the troady Highgrove domain of King Charles, with 11 of his 12 full -time gardeners resigning last year for allegations of a toxic work environment.
Exasperated employees, who said they were “overwhelmed and underpaid”, resigned after being more and more frustrated by the “requests” of the monarch, reports the Sunday Times.
According to the new overwhelming report, among the 11 gardeners who resigned are two gardens of gardens and an assistant chief gardener, who have all left in the past year.
The mass resignations followed hot on the departure of a staff member, who worked for Charles for decades.
Another resigned when he failed his probation after revealing insufficient knowledge about a particular type of flower, apparently losing the King’s confidence.
“Do not put this man back to me again,” said Charles about the staff member, according to the report.
The Highgrove domain, which Charles had bought in 1980, was also shaken by a series of toxic complaints in the workplace of vexed workers.
A recurring complaint was a low salary, the initiates saying that in March 2022, three gardeners won $ 11.98 per hour (the minimum wage), while two others were on $ 12.78 an hour.
“The gardening world is known for its low salary and I myself ended up leaving Highgrove after 20 years,” said the former senior gardener of the king exclusively, Jack Stoos.
“I had a back operation and, for lack of a better word, I experienced burning accordingly, because you did work regularly. Things had changed at that time, the foundation took the garden, so it was the right time for me to leave.
At the end of 2023, a gardener complained that all the staff was “overwhelmed, under-strengthened and constantly fighting to respond to the king’s requests”.
The staff member said that some workers had undergone physical injuries trying to respond to increasing requests, adding that morale had been at its lowest.
“There is little HMTK management [His Majesty the King’s] Expectations, and I know that I would not be allowed to say that we are in an under-effective, ”says the complaint, according to the point of sale.
It is said that the king issues a myriad of instructions to staff members during his morning shoe on the field. He then expects his orders to be completed before his next return.
Staff members claimed that the king sent detailed notes in a “thick red ink” to garden staff, with surprisingly “specific and emotional” memos.
Charles would also have corrected grammar and would underline incorrect letters in staff reports, and forces his team to consider him as “your Majesty” at any time.
“There was bubbling anger on the surface, very impatient, no politeness at all,” said a gardener.
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Following complaints, the King’s Foundation has since commanded Worknest, an independent HR advice, to investigate complaints.
The survey has since discovered evidence of “staff shortages” and “bad” management practice, confirming that remuneration was “a problem for recruitment and detention”.
According to the point of sale, the report recommended “management training for all managers”, as well as “mental health support and advice” for all employees, in addition to a wage exam.
In addition, the estate has since eliminated the role of “chief of the gardens”, rather appointing a “chief gardener” after the mass exodus.
One of the King’s most faithful advisers and the current executive director of Highgrove, Constantine “Costa” Inmedity, was appointed in staff complaints as asking his employees to prioritize the King’s requests, regardless of the difficulty.
“If the king wanted a plant to be moved from A to B, but that the professional opinion of the gardener was that she would die accordingly, the position of innate would be to insist him anyway,” said a former gardener.
Despite the generation of more than $ 8 million in turnover in the last financial year – higher than any other royal residence – the gardens continue to operate with a minimum of resources, the position includes.
In addition, Stoks declared exclusively to the post that Charles supervises the Foundation and his employees, the affirmations against him are “unjust”.
“I think that the position towards the king is unfair,” said Stoks about the point of sale report, saying that he had never had a problem with the monarch. “I don’t think it should be targeted. He used the foundation and, yes, he is part of the foundation, but they run the garden. ”
“The king trusts them to execute him-if they perform it incorrectly or not, it is not really on the king, it is on them,” he continued. “If there are problems, the king can now repair them and I am sure that this is exactly what he will do now.”
Following the allegations, the King’s Foundation said, saying to the post that “the well-being of the staff extremely seriously seriously”.
“We strive to be an exemplary employer,” said a spokesperson for the organization. “We are proud to regularly report very high satisfaction rates in our annual staff survey.”
“Our turnover is much lower than the national average, as is the number of official grievances raised. For the gardening team in Highgrove specifically, we regularly examine the advice of the Professional Gardeners Guild for the comparative analysis of remuneration. ”
The declaration continued: “Highgrove has also seen many positive developments since the King Foundation became the gardens of gardens. Since 2022, operating profit has more than doubled, a new educational education establishment The traditional heritage skills to hundreds of students has been established and visitors’ numbers continue to reach more than 40,000 per year. ”
The message contacted the Buckingham palace to comment.
