U.S. Naval War College president Rear Adm. Jeffrey Harley is under fire for allegedly spending lavishly on unilateral raises, offering Twister parties and “free hugs” and installing a margarita machine in his office.
According to an Associated Press report, Harley blames the financial issues on the Navy’s allotment and that he personally simply has a “lighthearted” style of leadership.
An example of an email Harley sent:
The employees who filed the complaint said they had “no ill-will” but that Harley was “destroying the college.” Some also accused Harley of drinking on the job.
“He has invited members of the staff to his office for afternoon drinks, setting his employees up to either comply because he’s the boss or uncomfortably decline his offer because they do not want to drink during the workday,” the employees also wrote in the complaint.
“The drinking continues. Morale is at an all-time low,” they wrote in an additional email to the inspector general in January. “Your biggest concern should be, however, the financial situation at the college.”
“I do not believe there’s anything in those emails that are derogatory, unethical, immoral or illegal,” Harley told the AP, adding that he uses his sense of humor to break the tension in a high-pressure environment.
