Senior Yass Council director quits suddenly, denies 'workplace culture' to blame

Senior Yass Valley Council (YVC) director, Lynette Safranek, who regularly stood in for general manager Chris Berry, quit her job suddenly on Wednesday morning (6 November), surprising colleagues, including her boss.

Ms Safranek is the council’s Director of Corporate and Community, coming to Yass in 2021 from Oberon – with more than 20 years’ experience in management.

As recently as Monday, Ms Safranek was acting as YVC’s general manager in the absence of GM Chris Berry.

After being alerted by a well-known Yass identity, with no connection to the YVC, on Wednesday afternoon that Ms Safranek “resigned suddenly that morning”, blaming it on “workplace culture”, Region contacted Ms Safranek, Mr Berry and the new Mayor Jasmin Jones for comment.

Mr Berry responded later on Wednesday, admitting he was shocked by Ms Safranek’s sudden resignation.

Ms Safranek texted Region at around midday on Thursday, saying: “I am still an employee until 25 November and have nothing to say at this time. Thank you. I confirm my leaving council was not due to workplace culture.”

Ms Jones did not respond to the request for comment.

Mr Berry said Ms Safranek told him she would be taking sick leave, then annual leave which she had organised earlier and that her resignation would take effect from then.

“Yes, I was surprised, a lot of resignations at a senior level come as a surprise but people make these decisions for a variety of reasons – sometimes for health, sometimes for career opportunities, sometimes for career advancement,” he said.

Asked what his working relationship was like with Ms Safranek, he said, “fine”.

“It was very professional, ” he said. “She stepped into my role when I took a month’s leave recently and it’s not the first time she’s done that.

“I valued her advice so it was a bit of a shock when she resigned today. But it’s not the first time senior staff have resigned on me.”

Asked if Ms Safranek told him she was leaving because of “workplace culture” issues, Mr Berry said, “That’s not what she told me.”

It is understood that what has been described as a “staffing crisis” at the Southern Tablelands council may be one of the reasons behind Ms Safranek’s sudden departure.

The YVC has been without a permanent chief financial officer for most of this year after the former CFO was “let go” after only three weeks on the job. Consultants have filled in that role but those contracts are believed to be nearly at an end.

Region was told there were 15 positions currently vacant at the YVC, at least three of which were “important posts”. This included four people who reportedly left in a week.

It is understood that the total YVC workforce is about 150 so the current vacancies represent 10 per cent.

Mr Berry denied there was a staffing crisis at YVC. He said most regional councils had the same problem – their budgets couldn’t stretch to what larger councils or the private sector could pay staff.

“You can’t recruit if there is no-one to recruit. Perhaps we’ll have to look at less qualified people – it’s not just professional people, it’s right across the organisation.”

Members of the newly elected YVC were only officially advised of Ms Safranek’s departure by around 4 pm on Wednesday, with one councillor describing that as “disappointing”, adding that they had a right to know what was going on.

Mr Berry said after Ms Safranek’s surprise resignation, his priority had been to speak to the mayor, and then to staff in Ms Safranek’s division.

“The councillors were next on my list,” he said, “but I have been in meetings all day.”