A former prison officer has told an employment tribunal that colleagues felt "completely hopeless" and "broke down" due to a "nasty" bullying culture in the workplace. Agata Stankiewicz, who worked at HMP Edinburgh, is suing the Scottish Prison Service, alleging she suffered for reporting the behaviour to managers.
Allegations of 'mean girl club' culture
Appearing at the Edinburgh Employment Tribunal, Stankiewicz likened the atmosphere to "high school", which she said compromised safety in a high-risk setting. She began working as an operational officer at Saughton prison in March 2018, moving to residential work on some of the toughest male cell blocks a year later. She said she became "very close" with colleagues and learned that teamwork is "very important" in a prison.
Problems arose when she was relocated to a smaller section, Ratho Hall, in 2024, where she said the culture was "completely different". She described it as a "mean girl club" with "lots of nastiness and snipey comments". She said: "People were competing with each other rather than working together. I thought of moving out of Ratho, but decided to keep my head down and not get involved with any drama."
Officers breaking down and safety concerns
Stankiewicz witnessed certain officers being singled out, saying: "More officers were crying on the shift, they were in more and more fights between officers. Once, two female officers broke down at work. One was saying 'I can't take this anymore'. It sounded completely hopeless. I thought, 'Somebody has to speak for them because enough is enough.'"
In another instance, an officer allegedly wrote another officer's name on a professional whiteboard in full view of prisoners. Stankiewicz reported the behaviour, claiming that bullying and lack of teamwork posed a significant safety risk. She told the court: "If prisoners see this white board and see she wrote that about another officer, they think 'there is a divide and we can target those officers and no one will defend them.'"
She described how officers have been stabbed, had ribs and noses broken, and lost fingers in violent incidents involving prisoners, adding: "You need to know your colleagues will have your back if there is any trouble. If I was working at Tesco, it wouldn't be a big deal. But we work in prison with people there for dangerous crimes - murderers and rapists."
Impact on mental health and aftermath
She argued bullying can impact mental health, adding anxiety and stress to an already hazardous job. She shared: "During the seven-and-a-half years I worked there, two officers took their own lives. If we don't protect officers and their mental health, it can end tragically."
A probe began in September 2024. By November, both offending officers were deemed to have no case to answer, but both were moved to new prison sections. Stankiewicz submitted a grievance against the decision, which was not upheld. She felt the Scottish Prison Service was "discouraging victims from speaking out" and asked "when will SPS prioritise staff safety?" according to the grievance document.
Superiors later tried to transfer her to a new ward, a move she felt was "targeted". She claimed another unit manager told her "they wanted everyone out of the hall that was involved in this investigation". She said the investigation left her emotionally drained, and she opted for a lower-paying operational role with less stress, but claimed certain officers were still "intimidating" her, staring her down in corridors and ignoring her radio requests. She eventually quit in 2025 and is seeking reinstatement.
She said: "I wasn't being emotional [in coming forward]. I was standing up for my colleagues. I think it is important and people are scared of speaking out. They don't want to make any noise. But when I make noise to protect my friends, I ended up without a job."
Employment Judge Jane Porter presides over the hearing. The tribunal continues.
