Please summarize this, and try to make it short. USING YOUR OWN words The follow
ID: 3496066 • Letter: P
Question
Please summarize this, and try to make it short. USING YOUR OWN words
The following case illustrates the off-duty privacy claim of an employee and management’s right to uphold the reputation of the company. Before his termination on Monday, May 6, 2011, John Hilliard worked as a senior sales representative for Advanced Educational Materials (AEM), a provider of highquality educational books and supplies to junior and senior high schools. During his twelve years of employment, John was recognized as an outstanding employee with close working relationships with the schools he served. His sales record was excellent. John’s discharge resulted from what AEM claimed was a serious breach of its code of conduct for employees. On Saturday, May 4, 2011, due to a chance meeting between John and his manager, Jean Ellison, John was observed leaving an adult video store carrying what his manager described as pornographic magazines and an X-rated video. The following Monday, Jean discussed the incident with AEM’s vice-president for sales and a representative from HR. All agreed that John’s off-duty behavior constituted a serious violation of the company’s code of conduct for employees, which read, in part, “Employee off-duty behavior in no way should reflect unfavorably upon the company, its employees, or sales of any educational materials.” AEM has traditionally held its sales representatives to high moral standards because the company sells extensively to public school administrators and teachers. At his discharge meeting, John vigorously opposed his firing. While he acknowledged making the purchases, he argued strongly that what he did on his personal time was “no business of the company’s” and his behavior in no way reflected unfavorably upon AEM or the sales of its products. Besides, he said, “The purchases were made as jokes for a stag party.”
Explanation / Answer
John Hilliard worked as a senior sales representative for Advanced Educational Materials. During the twelve years of his employment, he was recognized as an outstanding employee. However on May 4, 2011, in a chance meeting between John and Jean Ellison; his manager, John was seen carrying an X-rated video; pornographic magazines while leaving an adult video store. Due to the violation of; the company’s code of conduct for employees’ John was laid off. John vigorously opposed his firing during the discharge meeting saying that; it was an invasion of off-duty privacy. He provided an explanation for his behavior saying that; purchases were made as jokes for a stag party.