A “toxic work environment” and feelings of “frustration, stress and fear” expressed by employees at the Bishop Museum prompted an investigation at the 133-year-old institution that has pitted its board of directors against museum President and CEO Melanie Ide, according to a statement issued by the board.
Ide, who previously said she was tendering her resignation, has now informed the board she “will not resign, citing pleas from the community that she stay,” the statement said.
“For more than a week, Bishop Museum CEO Melanie Ide has used the court of public opinion in an effort to dissuade the Board of Directors from continuing an independent investigation into serious workplace concerns. She threatened to resign several times if the Board did not change its course, but has now informed the Board that she will not resign, citing pleas from the community that she stay,” read the statement.
Board members are focused on voices that “are coming from inside the museum, pleas for action that have been unheard for too long,” the statement said.
“These appeals paint a picture of a hostile work environment; they speak of frustration, stress, and fear, and it is our fiduciary duty to pay attention. A number of talented staff have left the museum in recent months, many citing a toxic work environment as a factor in their decisions to leave. After a concerted attempt to work with leadership to address these issues was met with continued resistance, we had no choice but to act.”
The board did not ask Ide to resign, according to the statement, and is focused on an “impartial review of the workplace environment.”
The statement emphasized that the investigation is being done “at the discretion of the independent investigator,” and that Ide and two other Bishop Museum officials who were placed on paid administrative leave will be among those interviewed.
Board members “regret the accusatory and divisive language aimed at the Board from individuals who have heard only one side of the situation.”
“We have respected and supported Melanie Ide’s vision throughout her tenure, and acknowledge her significant contributions to the Museum. But we reject a narrative that ignores the important contributions of many people — over many years — to the success of Bishop Museum, and fails to acknowledge a kuleana to protect our staff colleagues,” the board statement said.
Ide did not immediately reply to a Star-Advertiser request for comment.
Ide, who was hired by Bishop Museum in 2018 from Ralph Appelbaum Associates, the world’s largest museum exhibition design firm, told the Star-Advertiser July 8 that she had received a letter from the museum’s board of directors saying she was being placed on leave along with Wesley “Kaiwi” Yoon, vice president of operations, planning and project management, and general counsel Barron Oda due to “specific concerns about the behavior of a few employees that is being looked into because they feel it is a troubling work environment.”
The three officials were blocked from accessing their work email accounts and work records and products, according to Ide, who said the letter indicated the board action does not constitute a disciplinary measure or imply misconduct while the investigation is ongoing.
