When being an after-hours Nazi can get you fired
A private-sector employer in the US would have to prove that an activity somehow affected the workplace or the worker’s ability to do the job
New York — There are not supposed to be Nazis in the office. A human resource department in corporate America would be highly unlikely to sit back while an employee displayed swastikas on his desk or espoused ideas about racial superiority at the coffee machine. Outside of the office, however, the relationship between corporate codes of conduct and hateful politics is less straightforward. It is not entirely clear that employees will always be fired for being an after-hours Nazi. Take the recent white nationalists rallies in Charlottesville, Virginia, in the US, which featured antiSemitic slogans, Nazi symbols and an attack on counter-protestors that left one person dead. At least four participants in the rallies have lost their jobs as a result. Using images of the Charlottesville marches, amateur investigators such as Logan Smith, who runs the Twitter account Yes, You’re a Racist, have exposed the identities of participants and, in some cases, their places of employment. Within a ...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.