Former staff of failed business warn against working for owner

Thursday, 8 August 2024

Some of Cassandra Knox’s former employees have warned others not to work for her based on their experiences at Trinity Employment Services Limited before it was liquidated.

She was an award-winning business leader with a commerce degree and an apparently thriving employment agency based in Timaru.

But under the surface, things weren’t going so well.

Staff supposedly saw the writing on the wall months before Cassandra Knox’s employment agency Trinity Employment Service was forced into liquidation on May 30 by Inland Revenue, which was owed a staggering $1.55 million.

The liquidation was not enough to put Knox out of business. Within three hours she had registered a new company called Elite Employment. The new company came with a name change for Knox. As the new company’s sole director, she became Cassandra Slumskie, Slumskie being her ex-husband’s surname.

A comment on Elite’s website praising its service was made by Tim Pike, who according to Knox’s Facebook page, was her boyfriend.

At Trinity’s liquidation, staff were owed $25,000 and inquiries by The Press reveal claims of an unhappy workplace, manipulation and doubts over Knox’s commerce degree.

Before the Elite Employment website was removed, it displayed a testimonial type quote from a Tim Pike. Knox has been in a relationship with a Tim Pike, Facebook profiles show.

Former staff fear Knox has not learned her lesson and believe the saga could be repeated.

They did not want to be named fearing that speaking out publicly would damage their employment chances. Knox did not respond to repeated attempts via phone, email and in person by The Press to have her respond to their allegations.

Knox’s claim to have a commerce degree appeared on her LinkedIn page. Under the education banner, it listed a bachelor of commerce from the University of Otago.

However the university’s database listing all conferred degrees does not mention Cassandra Knox or Cassandra Slumskie.

The university declined to comment citing privacy reasons and directed The Press to its online database.

Former staff also recall temporary workers being paid late and contacting the office to plead for their wages so they could pay their bills.

Knox’s now inaccessible LinkedIn page presented a Bachelor of Commerce from University of Otago. She did not appear in the university’s graduate database.

Knox messaged the workers claiming the delays were due to technical problems, missing the payment cut off, incorrect bank numbers and bank delays.

“There was nothing we could really do about it but pass it on to Cass and she would blame it on the bank,” a former Trinity worker says.

Several former staff told The Press they had been interviewed by IRD investigation officers after the liquidation.

Another claimed there were frequent yelling matches in the office and said, “I would absolutely not want anyone to work … for her”.

A married staff member said Knox had accused him of inappropriate sexual relations with another colleague. None of the accusations had any substance, he said, but they made his life difficult.

One such accusation occurred on a multi-day work trip to Ōhau, where, he said, Knox accused him and his colleague of having sex in a dorm.

Cassandra Knox did not reply to questions asked by The Press.

Former employees said Knox told them she had cancer and some believed she used the diagnosis for “attention and for people to feel sorry for her”.

Messages from Knox, which have been seen by The Press, said she received radiation treatment from St George’s Hospital in Christchurch.

But a number questioned the diagnosis. One former employee, who had a relative with cancer, was so sceptical about Knox’s cancer diagnosis she said this was the main reason she resigned.

However not all Knox’s employees view her in a bad light. Three employees who followed Knox from Trinity to Elite said she was a good boss and they enjoyed their jobs.

Gini Lambertucci had said the liquidation was due to problems many companies faced last year, combined with some staff in the company who didn’t generate any business.

She had been aware of former staff saying “nasty” things about Knox.

“They are obsessed with her. They are harassing her.”

Meanwhile, Robert Jacobs, who owned PiqueNique Cafe at The Complex in Washdyke, in Timaru, where Trinity had an office said Knox had hired his café to cater for events and was “loyal” and always paid her bills.

He had been shocked to read of its liquidation. 'My jaw dropped. I would never have seen that coming.''

Todd Mudie who owns The Complex, said the company had no arrears. He said he had helped with the removal of items from the office as a goodwill gesture when the business closed.

'I saw her as someone trying to give things a go,'' he said.

Knox won the South Canterbury Chamber of Commerce Emerging Leader Award in 2022.