Mike Stratton, the director of the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, has apologized for managerial failings, the Guardian reports.
Senior leaders there including Stratton came under investigation following complaints of bullying and gender discrimination. Complainants described "an entrenched culture of bullying and mistreatment" there as well as staffers being pushed to leave on short notice and proper procedures not being followed when complaints were made and that that more commonly affected female workers, the Guardian reported in September.
The Guardian now reports that that investigation found no evidence Stratton bullied staff nor that how he handled staff was gender specific. However, the investigation did uncover management issues, particularly that many decisions were not transparent. That included, it says, the decision to ask the lead complainant in this instance to leave the institute. While the investigation found that decision was not gender-based, it did say that the reasons for the decision were not well communicated, including by Stratton, the Guardian notes. It adds that the investigation also suggested that the institute implement an appeals process for when people are asked to leave because of a lack of "scientific excellence" or "scientific fit."