The director of the government's information service criticized by his teams for his "brutal" management

The arrival of a director in a central administration is often the occasion to establish new rituals. That of Michaël Nathan, in October 2018, at the head of the government information service (GIS), responsible for monitoring opinion and organizing government communication, placed under the supervision of Matignon, is no exception.

From now on, the meetings regularly begin with a scene of “humiliation”, tell 17 witnesses – all anonymous for fear of reprisals – to Le Monde. Coupled with the new director's desire to shine at all costs with his supervisors, these helped to create a stifling atmosphere on avenue de Ségur. To the point of being at the origin of the taking of anxiolytics, of at least six long sick leaves and of a dozen departures directly linked to his management, since the beginning of 2019, of a service which has between 70 and 100 people.

“He shows up late, his glare lands on someone – you're praying it's not you – and then he hits like a deaf man. “This is shit, you suck, how could you send me this?” The meeting can only begin once he has finished his little number, ”says a collaborator.

“Demanding but fair”

In an email sent to Le Monde, containing four pages of answers prepared with a lawyer, as well as 17 exchanges of emails and an attached press release, Michaël Nathan contradicts all of our information, describing himself as "a demanding but correct ". “I listen to the opinion of my collaborators, I share my vision and my questions, with complete confidence and frankness,” he adds. (…) If there were frank discussions and sometimes diverging points of view, I deny any method of brutal management. Moreover, I am not aware of any administrative procedure with the competent courts or with the trade unions, which I also meet regularly. Nor have I received any complaints or claims from my staff on such a subject. »

If no procedure is in progress according to our information, the witnesses and the documents collected paint the portrait of a man who is not bothered by the rules inherent in his function and who inspires terror in many of his collaborators. .

You have 82.36% of this article left to read. The following is for subscribers only.