On April 15, 1912, the world awoke to the shocking news that the Titanic, previously deemed "unsinkable," had sunk just south of Newfoundland after striking a massive undetected iceberg. As facts began to surface about the events leading up to the fatal collision, a story of ignored warnings and ineffective management emerged. Despite the vast difference in subject matter, the failure to focus on and respond adequately to the warnings that led to the tragedy provides valuable instruction for employers addressing issues created by inappropriate coworker relationships. Read on to learn what a 1912 shipwreck and a 2010 Missouri court ruling can teach us about handling the problems created by romantic relationships in the workplace.
Facts
The city of Valley Park hired Roxanne Ruppel as an hourly office clerk in 2002. Among other things, she was responsible for sanitation billing and helping to issue permits. She was also asked to work on the city's website, which she did from home on an overtime basis. Four years after she was hired, the city elected a new mayor. In December 2006, the mayor and Ruppel (both married at the time) began a romantic relationship. Neither of them made an effort to conceal the affair. In fact, some employees and aldermen knew or had heard rumors about the relationship. Eventually, the mayor's wife was told about it. After learning of the affair, the mayor's wife made multiple calls to the office and confronted Ruppel in person. The result was a verbal confrontation, which made fellow employees extremely uncomfortable.
In 2007, the city board of aldermen began questioning the appropriateness of the mayor's relationship with Ruppel. The mayor said what he did on his time was his business. One alderman was quoted as saying he was going to "do [the mayor] a favor" by firing Ruppel. By mid-2007, news of the mayor's affair had reached a boiling point, prompting the alderman to discipline Ruppel for a minor workplace violation that had occurred months earlier. After she was suspended for the violation, she submitted a letter appealing the suspension and requesting formal review of the action.
Read more...Missouri Employment Law Letter (PDF)