THE mum of a Treasury employee who took her own life has said her daughter was “absolutely happy” at work until office gossip sparked a “vexatious” complaint.
Chloe Moffat, 26, died on May 20 last year, a day after she was told by managers she had allegedly shared confidential information, an inquest heard on Monday.
The mum of a Treasury employee who took her own life has said her daughter was “absolutely happy” at work Credit: Facebook
Chloe Moffat took her own life on May 20 last year after receiving anonymous complaints at work Credit: Facebook
The Treasury was found to have “materially contributed” to Chloe’s death by not informing her that the likely outcome if the allegations were true were a written warning – not a dismissal.
Mum Anne Moffat said Chloe had been “happy as Larry” in her role and not had any issues with her mental health prior to her death.
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“She was so happy working there, absolutely happy. She was ready for a promotion and then there were some allegations made and Chloe denied them,” she told The Times.
She added that the complaints had been made by anonymous witnesses, who could “never have given a statement”.
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Mum Anne Moffat described the complaints filed against her daughter as “vexatious” Credit: Facebook
Chloe texted a friend after the meeting with her line manager saying she thought she would be fired Credit: Facebook
“We know what the allegations were about — it was no more than office gossip, I’m sure it was all vexatious, sadly,” she said.
Assistant coroner Anna Crawford said at the Surrey Coroner’s Court that it was the general consensus that Chloe “enjoyed her job” and had an exemplary record.
Chloe had thought she was attending a routine check-in with her line manager on May 19, only to find a senior manager also present.
She was informed of allegations that she had shared highly sensitive information about colleagues, obtained as part of her job role – claims which she denied.
The managers told her no final decision had been made but that a formal investigation or disciplinary meeting might be needed.
When Chloe asked whether she’d lose her job, the senior manager said she “could not predict the outcome at this stage”.
She was temporarily removed from the director’s email inbox.
Chloe was reportedly shocked and upset during the meeting and texted a friend shortly afterwards, saying she thought she would be fired.
She also spoke with her mum, who tried to reassure her.
The following day, she took her own life.
The coroner said she would be sending a prevention of future deaths report to HM Treasury, the head of the civil service and to Acas.
A Treasury spokesperson said earlier this week: “We take the coroner’s concerns extremely seriously and recognise it is important to act quickly. We are now considering the findings carefully.
“We have introduced improvements to guidance, support and wellbeing arrangements but recognise we must continue to take action to prevent this happening again.”
