On June 13,2019,Mr Monfort emailed Crown general counsel Joshua Preston and head of human resources Alicia Gleeson requesting an investigation into Mr Nisbet's conduct.
"Todd's behaviour is out of control and all Crown employees that work for him,or for that matter in other departments around him,must know that they can file a complaint with Human Resources in the future without retaliation from Todd."
Another Crown employee said he had left the company because of Mr Nisbet,whom he reported to the company's HR department. The employee said the complaint was never followed up,claiming Mr Nisbet"is protected by the top". A serving employee said Mr Nisbet was a"notorious bully and harasser",but he was too scared to report him.
Mr Nisbet denied the allegations and questioned the motives of complainants,suggesting some may be"disgruntled"because they were uncomfortable with accountability in the workplace. He also dismissed claims he was a bully."That doesn't sound like me ... I'm the furthest thing from a bully,"he said.
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A Crown spokesperson said the complaints had been taken seriously and Mr Nisbet had been counselled.
"When the whistleblowers'complaint was received,the matter was escalated immediately and an independent external investigation conducted for presentation to the Board. The former chairman and the chair of the board OH&S committee formally addressed Mr Nisbet on the matter,reiterating the high standards expected of all employees,particularly leaders in the organisation."
According to Crown whistleblowers,the company also failed to report a senior Melbourne marketing manager to police after an internal investigation into the potentially unlawful abuse of company property. The investigation was headed by Crown security chief Craig Walsh and examined allegations the manager received undeclared benefits from Crown contractors,one whistleblower said.
The manager was also accused of issuing false invoices to Crown to pay for a weekly haircut. After Mr Walsh caught the manager loading goods into their car,Crown allowed them to depart the firm with a payout once they signed a non-disclosure agreement,according to the whistleblower.
"Crown is bound by its obligations of confidence and is unable to comment,"a spokesman said when asked about the allegations.
Three former Crown staff also said another Melbourne marketing manager resigned in late 2017 amid repeated allegations of improper workplace behaviour including harassment of staff. One staff member,who has since left Crown,said the manager was reported to human resources after he instructed his personal assistant,a young woman,to undertake her performance review in a bar.
After encouraging her to drink,the manager then introduced the woman to a male friend in a manner that the staff member said was deeply inappropriate.
A Crown spokesperson said that,during the manager's employment,a matter was raised with Crown which was promptly investigated by HR. In addition,subsequent to the manager's employment,Crown became aware of a further matter. In both cases there was insufficient evidence to substantiate a finding.