Gina Heslop
Some former staff members of Vice President Kamala Harris have come forward with troubling stories about working for her.
They have described her as a “bully” and claimed that she created a toxic work environment where people were often brought to tears. These stories raise concerns about her leadership style and the high turnover rate among her staff.
According to a report by the watchdog group Open The Books, only four of the 71 staffers hired by Harris during her first year in office are still with her. This means that the turnover rate is 92 percent, an unusually high number that suggests many employees struggled with working in her office.
These issues are not new, however. In a biography about Harris called Amateur Hour, it was revealed that complaints about her leadership go back to 2010 when she was California’s attorney general.
At that time, interns reportedly felt undervalued, often returning in tears after their interactions with her. Even as a U.S. senator, Harris was known for having a high turnover rate among her staff.
Between 2017 and 2020, her office ranked ninth in staff departures out of the 114 senators serving during that period. Congressional sources have said that Harris often lashed out at her staff with angry, expletive-filled tirades.
One particularly well-known incident occurred during the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Harris, in a heated moment, berated a room full of Senate staffers from both parties, demonstrating how her sharp criticism extended beyond her own team.
In November 2019, Kelly Mehlenbacher, Harris’s State Operations Director at the time, resigned and shared a letter with The New York Times that expressed her dissatisfaction with how Harris treated her staff.
Mehlenbacher described the office environment as poorly run and said she had never seen an organization treat its employees so badly. She specifically noted that Harris did not give enough consideration to the staff members who were laid off without warning.
Unfortunately, reports suggest that this behavior has continued since Harris became Vice President. A Washington Post article included interviews with current and former staffers who spoke about the difficulties of working with Harris.
They mentioned her lack of preparation and harsh criticism, saying that working for her often felt like they were trying to “prop up a bully.” Earlier in the year, Politico also reported similar stories of an abusive work culture in her office, where staff members felt unsupported and regularly “thrown under the bus.”
Leaders at all levels, including Vice President Harris, need to address such concerns to foster workplaces where people feel valued and supported. Positive leadership is key to a healthy and productive work environment.
