Posted on 06/17/2005 2:39:08 PM PDT by phoenix_004
A German court has upheld the right of Wal-Mart staff in Germany to flirt at work, a spokesman said Thursday, showing that Germany's restrictive labor laws also have their permissive aspects. The court rejected parts of Wal-Mart's code of conduct relating to employees' love lives, alcohol and drug use and a requirement for staff to report code violations via a so-called ethics hotline, the spokesman said.
He could not immediately confirm the grounds on which the Wuppertal employment court had ordered the clauses to be removed for German staff, saying the judge's opinion was still in the process of being written.
The Financial Times Deutschland said the court had found the clauses, including one banning "any kind of communication that could be interpreted as sexual," contradicted German labor law, in its ruling on the case brought by Wal-Mart's works council.
Wal-Mart Germany, which is based in Wuppertal and can appeal against the decision, had no immediate comment.
The ruling could have far-reaching effects for U.S. companies with staff in Germany. Such restrictions are increasingly common in U.S. corporate culture as firms seek to prevent scandals that could damage their reputation.
An affair with a female executive led to the downfall of Boeing's chief executive in March. The company fired Harry Stonecipher when the affair came to light, saying his conduct broke company rules and damaged his ability to lead.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
WORKERS KEEP RIGHT TO FLIRT ON FR TOO!
LOL...
So I guess the concept of sexual harassment doesn't exist in their legal system yet?
Maybe le concept au victimhood de la femme ala Dworkin hasn't caught on there.
While visiting a client site in Germany about 10 years ago, I visited
their employee store. (fairly large firm) Along with snacks, chapstick, milk, etc, they stocked condoms...
I think most of Europe finds the concept (as defined by American feminists) to be laughable.
"So I guess the concept of sexual harassment doesn't exist in their legal system yet?"
Of course it does. The idea behind the court ruling is this: If there really is a case of sexual harassment, it's up to law enforcement to clear that up and to punish the offender. On the other hand: If two employees feel mutual attraction, it's none of the employer's business, who would be overstepping his rights when infringing on the personal freedom of his workers.
"While visiting a client site in Germany about 10 years ago, I visited
their employee store. (fairly large firm) Along with snacks, chapstick, milk, etc, they stocked condoms..."
Yeah, most Europeans (except catholic Italy, of course) are fairly relaxed when it comes to the topic of sex. Every larger store / drug store stocks condoms. Then again, we don't have drive-through wedding chapels *LOL.
Actually, in Sicily you find condom machines ON THE STREETS next to soda machines.
But in an *employee* store, as if employees needed them for use in their
offices during lunch?
Yeah, the drive through chapel thing is a bit of a cultural oddity. I wonder
if people keep the engine idling during the ceremony...
This puts an American company in a very tough position.
Question: Do most European laws restrict lawsuits for sexual harassment to something reasonable? What is the civil responsibility (if any) of the company in Europe?
I used to be manager, and I had to deal with this one time (employee complained about another employee to me). In the US, the company is liable if it doesn't take appropriate timely action. That's why US companies have rules about employee conduct. So in Europe, it's up to law enforcement? Interesting.
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