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Georg Thiel, President of the Federal Statistical Office and Federal Returning Officer: "Where is the process?"
Photo: Wolfgang Kumm / picture alliance / dpa
For a moment it seemed as if the President of the Federal Statistical Office wanted to poke fun at his authority and himself: He always “tortures” employees “when they come to me with statistics that are two to three years old,” says Georg Thiel .
This sentence was mentioned in 2018 at a symposium of journalists. In fact, the agency is not exactly known for providing freshly collected data quickly. The motto in Wiesbaden is rather: slowly but precisely. So far, at least. On this day, Thiel presented himself as a forward-looking head of authority who wants to modernize the Federal Office.
Tortured employees - only a few people around Thiel can laugh at this research-teasing formulation. In the meantime, the President is confronted with serious allegations about his management and staff management. The top statisticians in the country are raging. Current and former employees speak to the media of a "climate of fear" that Thiel has been spreading since he took office, and that his management style is "inhuman". In addition, there are allegations of »nepotism« and tax waste. Long-serving employees report to SPIEGEL that they would not recognize the authority under Thiel and publicly call for help in the press. And all in a year in which the accused - in personal union also Federal Returning Officer - has to manage a federal election.
Thiel preceded his reputation
Even when Georg Thiel was appointed president in 2017, according to employees, this did not exactly trigger cheers in office.
The authority, with its headquarters in Wiesbaden and around 2,400 employees, reports to the Federal Ministry of the Interior.
Thiel, who holds a doctorate in law, was preceded by the reputation of being an authoritarian turnaround.
Whether as president of the Technical Relief Organization (THW), as an administrative modernizer in the Ministry of the Interior or, most recently, as deputy head of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees.
His companions there experienced him as quick-tempered and actionist, as someone who expects obedience from his subordinates.
The THW left Thiel in 2006 after an employee committed suicide and, according to "Focus", described Thiel as the trigger. An investigation by the Ministry of the Interior came to the conclusion that Thiel was not responsible for the suicide, but respect and trust were "no longer given to the required extent," according to the then Interior Minister Wolfgang Schäuble (CDU).
So then the Federal Statistical Office.
You can now experience for yourself what you have heard from your previous positions, can be heard from the workforce.
The "Wiesbadener Kurier" reported on it first.
SPIEGEL also spoke to several employees.
You work in different departments, at different locations, in different hierarchical levels.
Nobody wants to be quoted by name, the fear of consequences is too great.
Employees describe harassment
With Thiel at the helm, the mood in the house has worsened massively, they report almost in unison.
He demonstrates employees, takes insignificant mistakes as an opportunity to make them "suck" in front of the entire group.
Even seasoned executives would have left his office in tears.
Employees would no longer apply for management positions in order not to have to do with Thiel more often.
Almost all of the interlocutors complain about a pronounced micromanagement of the head of office.
Thiel can also be kept up to date on the smallest of tasks, gives short deadlines, urges results in brief e-mails: "Where is the process?"
His messages also come late at night and on public holidays.
Or he'll call his cell phone before six in the morning.
Georg Thiel refrained from commenting on the allegations in relation to SPIEGEL.
On request, his press office will let it be known that all relevant issues will be "discussed in trusting cooperation with those involved".
Meanwhile, one employee reports that some colleagues went to work every day with fear.
There are cases of burnout and depression.
At the beginning of the corona pandemic, Thiel agreed that employees who belong to a risk group would also continue to come to the office.
The opinion of Thiel is not one-sidedly negative: the head of the authority is very enthusiastic and always pushes new innovation projects.
Some of them would do the Federal Office very well, some think.
But Thiel also personally accesses employees and subtracts them from "black bread tasks" that have to be done.
The statutory mandate provides for hundreds of statistics that the office has to produce and publish each year, from foreign trade statistics to the ornamental plant survey.
Employees suspect tax waste and »nepotism«
In addition, under Thiel, the advisors at the Federal Office went in and out. Numerous orders would be distributed to external companies that are supposed to support the office with the upcoming census or optimize the structure of the authorities. Several employees perceive this as a nuisance, the consultants prevented them from doing their actual work and the office management signaled a lack of trust in the abilities of their own people. Some also see massive tax waste in practice and, according to the "Wiesbadener Kurier", have submitted a corresponding submission to the Federal Audit Office. But so far he has not announced an examination at the statistics office.
And then there is the filling of certain posts.
According to »Kurier«, Thiel brought two ideal candidates into office whom he knew from previous professional positions.
There was no advertisement for these positions.
The authority does not want to get involved in these matters at the moment either: "We ask for your understanding that the Federal Statistical Office does not comment publicly on internal matters."
Staff council should disclose complaints
If you ask around in the workforce, you will quickly notice: This is not about a few whining officials for whom digitization is going too fast.
Most of them realize that the Federal Office has some catching up to do here.
It's about people who enjoyed going to the office until a few years ago.
Some say they were proud of the good working atmosphere.
Now the dissatisfaction seems to extend across large parts of the agency. Numerous employees have requested support - initially internally from the staff council. When he tried to talk to Thiel, "we were repeatedly asked to name the cases - which of course we didn't do," as the committee announced to the workforce in a circular last week that was available to SPIEGEL.
A few months ago, several employees turned to a reporter for the Wiesbaden local newspaper. After they confronted the authorities with the allegations, Thiel had a press release published on his own behalf at the end of February - allegedly against the advice of his own press office and before the text had even appeared in the newspaper. The content was more than unusual: In the statement, Thiel defended himself against "publicly raised allegations", which had not even been raised publicly, and wrote that he wanted to "better take the employees with him on the way ahead."
The president's press release is said to have triggered irritated inquiries, for example from applicants.
Shortly afterwards it disappeared again from the Destatis website.
When the local newspaper finally acknowledged the allegations in a full-page report at the beginning of May, some in the office hoped for a quick reaction from the Federal Ministry of the Interior.
But so far there has only been silence from Berlin.
Clarification required before the federal election
The SPD is now demanding clarification from Interior Minister Horst Seehofer (CSU).
After the complaints had become known, "one would have expected a statement from the employer immediately, which shows that one cares," says Ute Vogt, domestic policy spokeswoman for the SPD parliamentary group.
The President of the Federal Statistical Office is particularly important in an election year.
As election officer, he oversees the preparation and implementation of the federal election at the end of September.
Trust is crucial in such a position.
The Ministry of the Interior is keeping a low profile on inquiries.
A spokesman said that they would not comment on internal administrative processes.
Just so much: there is a close exchange with the statistical office, relevant topics are "discussed and clarified with all those involved" and the "internal administrative mechanisms take effect".