🪞 Mirror Me Blog Series: Portmeirion Scandal — Part VI
When HR Becomes Silent, the Whole Building Shakes
On Thursday, January 30th, 2025, I did what most employees are trained to do: I took my concerns to Human Resources. I sat in the Portmeirion office, holding months of internal anxiety, and scheduled time with Paula Hawks, the HR representative. We met on Friday, January 31st via Zoom, and for nearly an hour, I explained everything I had witnessed: the financial discrepancies, the AP department’s dysfunction, the lack of leadership, and my growing fear that I was being iced out for simply doing my job with integrity.
Paula listened. I pleaded with her to check my references. To call Roger and Neils—two past supervisors who could confirm my ethics and track record. I told her this wasn’t the first time I’d been in this position, and I reminded her that I had nothing to gain by speaking up—only everything to lose if I stayed silent.
She nodded. Took notes. Told me to work from home that Friday.
Then she scheduled a private Zoom call with Dominique Duran, the Controller.
What happened next wasn’t a mystery—it was a calculated response.
Later that day, Dominique held a Zoom meeting with Jennifer Luning, the AP Manager I had raised concerns about. Their energy shifted. Their tone changed. And by Tuesday, February 4th, Dominique sent me a cold, grammatically flawed, and passive-aggressive email terminating my assignment. No HR follow-up. No investigation. No closure.
🔍 Let’s Decode What Went Wrong:
⚖️ Disregard for Compliance
HR exists to protect humans, not just resources. When Paula ignored my documented concerns, failed to follow up, and allowed the Controller to retaliate, she didn’t just fail me—she failed the entire system.
💢 Emotionally Reactive Leadership
Dominique’s email was not professional—it was personal. It was a knee-jerk reaction to being exposed. She let her ego override her judgment and dismantled what little structure was left in the department.
🚨 Loss of Team Trust
Once Paula allowed retaliation to occur without intervention, the team lost a valuable truth-teller—and the message to others was loud and clear: If you speak up, you’ll be next.
⬇️ Unraveling Morale & Retention
Chris cried during his exit interview. William left abruptly. I was walked out. All of us were silenced in different ways. And yet, Portmeirion wonders why turnover is high and audits are red-flagged.
📓 Reflection Prompt:
Have you ever told the truth and been punished for it?
What did that experience teach you about leadership and self-worth?
🧠 Affirmation:
“I am not afraid to speak truth to power. My voice is my protection.”
👁️ Spot the Narc Traits:
Emotional retaliation
Silence as punishment
Covert power shifts
Delegated sabotage
To Be Continued…
Tomorrow, we take a deeper look at CFS, the staffing agency that placed me—and why they, too, played a role in this unraveling tale of negligence, favoritism, and racial bias.