Damaging an employer's reputation
This week has seen public outrage at the actions of a Coventry based bank worker caught dumping a cat in a wheelie bin and leaving it trapped for over 15 hours.
The 45 year old woman is reported to have walked past the four year old cat, Lola, and tossed her into the bin by the scruff of her neck. She is now facing possible prosecution by the RSPCA and it has been suggested that she has received many death threats and in consequence has been offered police protection.
But aside from this general news story, it appears someone has “let the cat out of the bag” by disclosing the specific bank where the individual is employed and making it now a hot topic in the fields of Employment Law. We have taken this opportunity to speak with Sarah Brindley, one of a team of Specialists at Newcastle-under-Lyme based mhl support.
Sarah advised “actions such as these can have a serious impact on the bank’s reputation now that it is known exactly where the lady worked. Quite rightly, employers who work hard at building their reputation won’t want to let actions go unaddressed and unsanctioned.” Sarah explained “we see situations like this all the time, where employees act in a manner which is questionable and impacts the employer’s reputation. This can include articles in the press where a worker charged with criminal offences has their employer named as part of the news item. There are also many other situations where employees behave inappropriately when on Company business or at corporate functions and the organisation's name is involved in the complaint.
When asked about the sorts of actions taken in these circumstances, Sarah explained that “it is likely that disciplinary action will follow. Many employers will have a policy that covers behaviour outside of work, which sets out that actions which bring the Company name into disrepute can lead to serious disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal on grounds of gross misconduct.”
Sarah went on to say “in these sorts of cases, the key to taking disciplinary action is showing a link between the employee’s actions and their position working for the particular employer. If someone’s actions are reported but with no indication given as to where they work, this is unlikely to bring the Company name into disrepute and hence not justify taking any action. However, if, as is the case this time with this latest bank worker, the Company name is mentioned, employers are well within their rights to consider taking action.”
If you have a situation where one of your employees has behaved inappropriately which has potentially damaged your reputation, please call one of the team today. If you are an existing client, please call us on 08453 100 999 quoting your PCN number to discuss the situation with one of our employment law specialist. If however you are not yet a client of mhl, but are interested in learning more about the case of the services mhl provide, please call Katy Vaughan today on 08453 100 600.
This News Release is intended to provide a general overview and discussion of the subject matter. It is not however, intended to give advice or to act as a substitute to taking legal advice from our Support Line in any specific situation. Mhl accepts no liability or responsibility for the information contained within this news release. If you would like specific advice about this subject matter, please contact one of the Employment Law Team today on 08453 100 999.
