Drawing the Line on Out-of-the-Box Behavior at Work
By
Relationship Advice Expert April Masini
Q: Dear April Masini,
I manage a diverse group of people at a fairly liberal advertising agency. As my employees get younger, I notice that there are lots of piercings and even the occasional hair color not found in nature. Furthermore, the dress code seems to be something people take as "optional." I'm willing to let most of it slide by in the name of creativity, but I don't want people who are liabilities working for me.
Are there any signs I should be watching out for that would indicate that the person is not just creative or expressive, but is actually someone who might cross boundaries or lines with clients or other employees? And if I decide the person's appearance or decisions are unacceptable, do I have legal grounds to fire them? If not, how can I talk to them about it?
Signed,
Straight-Edged Boss
A:
Dear Straight-Edged Boss,
The acceptability of your appearance all depends on the kind of work you do and how you actually do that work! Entertainers who entertain -- whether they're on the stage or not, will continue to be employed because audiences buy tickets to their shows or buy their CDs or movies or whatever form their art is sold in. If artists act crazy, they may actually make their art more valuable than if they act sedate. But that's art.
Insurance brokers may be sending up a red flag to employers and clients if they start taking risks that make them look less than insurable or insurance-selling-worthy. Same is true of any money manager. That's why so many bankers and money managers bend over backward to look successful in a conservative way -- they want to foster a sense of trust and success.
Artists may want to foster a sense of danger, risk and unpredictability in their art. Nobody wants a boring piece of art. Everyone wants their money handled by boring accountants.
Firing an Employee for Strange Behavior
That's a question for a lawyer, however, what I can tell you as a relationship expert is that unless a person's behavior affects their productivity in a negative way, or offends or harms other people, it will be hard for them to be fired without cause for legal recourse. In English that means that unless there's sexual harassment or safety is endangered, crazy behavior that promotes the company's goals, is not legally liable.
Keeping Boundaries
Some people need to blow off steam in order to face the workday and the workweek if it's grueling. Blowing off steam to them may be working in the garden, playing with kids, or heli-skiing in the Swiss Alps. It may even involve getting a tattoo or getting plastered and having wild sex. As long as it's private, who cares?
When boundaries cross between personal and workplace life, there is always risk involved, so best to keep crazy behavior on private time and private turf.
Addressing the Issue
A good friend at work can advise that behavior is getting out of bounds and out of hand, but that's it. Everybody at work is an adult, and is responsible for themselves. Bosses have the responsibility of guiding, giving warnings, and then firing if an employee does not go with the program and does not produce. It's not personal -- nor should workplace behavior be personal.
April Masini -- nicknamed "the new millennium's Dear Abby" by the media, is author of the best-selling books Date Out Of Your League and Think & Date Like A Man, the two (just released) step-by-step dating and relationship manuals, Ideas for a Fun Date and Romantic Date Ideas,
and the critically acclaimed dating and relationship online magazine www.AskApril.com.
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