The Los Angeles-based fashion retailer American Apparel is no stranger to
being featured in the media spotlight due to its inter-office romances and
employee slip-ups, especially after news broke that its former CEO and
co-founder Dov Charney was sued and accused of alleged misconduct and
sexual harassment by a number of employees. However it seems as if the
retailer is keen to turn over a new leaf following Charney official dismissal
and a new code of business and ethics has been published on the retailer’s
website which limits future office romances.
American Apparel has fortified rules regarding sexual harassment, abusive
conduct and romantic relationships between personnel. The ethics code,
which is currently 12 pages long and over four time the length of its
predecessor according to Bloomberg, has taken on two new rules which state:
“No management-level employee may make sexual advances, welcome or
unwelcome, toward any subordinate, regardless of whether the
subordinate reports
to the management employee, either directly or indirectly,” and “No
employee who has a personal relationship or romantic relationship with
another employee may be in a position with any perceived or actual
influence over the other’s terms of employment.”
American Apparel takes a strong hand to workplace “romantic
relationships”
The updated ethics code stresses that “romantic relationship” could refer
to either casual dating or committed relationships between employees. The
retailer advises any employees who may be in a “romantic relationship”
where one person could have any influence over their terms of employment to
disclose details to American Apparel’s Human Resources Department. Any
employees who fail to follow the new ethics code and do not report a
“personal” or “romantic relationship” will be “subject to discipline”. The
fashion retailer notes that the Human resources department aims to handle
such private manners as discreetly as possible, but adds that
“confidentiality cannot be guaranteed”.
Afterwards it is up to Human Resources and American Apparel to determine
the nature of the relationship. “Even in the case when a relationship
between personnel does not involve a conflict of interest, employees are
reminded of the intersection between the Company’s Sexual Harassment policy and
workplace conduct,” points out the code of ethics.
“Unwelcome advances between Company personnel, even outside the workplace,
is not professional behaviour and may violate Company policy. Company
personnel should never engage in any public displays of affection in the
workplace, which may make others uncomfortable. If any harassing conduct or
unwelcome advances occur, the aggrieved employee should utilize the
procedures for reporting sexual harassment.”
The renewed document highlights changes that the board of directors at the
fashion retailer aims to make after Charney’s exit last year. During his
time at American Apparel, Charney was known to regularly attended meetings
and work in his office in nothing but his underwear. He was also accused of
engaging in sexual activity with a series of employees. Former sales
associate Irene Morales claims that Charney kept her as his sex slave for
eight months just after her eighteenth birthday. Currently all cases
against the disgraced former CEO have either been suspended or settled.
Click Here: Real bape hoodie
American Apparel adds that its new code of ethics “is not intended to and
does not create any rights in any employee, director, customer, supplier,
competitor, stockholder or any other person or entity.”