Earlier this year, CareerBuilder.com did a survey asking participants whether or not they had ever dated a coworker in the professional careers.
Forty percent admitted they had. That’s a lot, though I actually would have expected the number to be higher.
That brings us to my actual blog subject. The police chief of Beloit, Wisconsin was asked to retire – and did- last week because he had an affair with a female officer. According to Beloit City Manager Larry Arft, Chief Sam Lathrop had an extramarital affair with Sergeant Pam Barney, who was also married.
Arft found out about the hanky-panky and told Lathrop he should retire. His retirement was supposed to take place August 31, but he had so much vacation time saved up his retirement started last Friday.
An employee of the Beloit Police since 1978 and chief since 2003, Lathrop believes his decision to retire is best for the city.
If you were the city manager, would you have told Chief Lathrop he needed to go? I have mixed feelings. While I certainly do not condone an affair, I wonder if his personal life should be kept separate from his professional life. On the other hand, public officials are (and should be) held to a higher standard.
Then again, any number of former US Presidents have strayed and they never lost their jobs as a result.
What do you folks think?
1 response so far ↓
Christina, your wife // July 21, 2009 at 11:17 am
There is an honesty issue here. We seem to compartamentalize these things. It’s lying. It is dishonest on the job and off the job. Employers used to insist that employees adhere to a “code of conduct.” This conduct has been excused and has caused a slide in our overall moral code. We need to take a gigantic step back. We are on what my grandma refers to as a “slippery slope” and we are going down FAST!!!