Roman Polanski supporters: Who cares about rape? He's great at his job!

October 4, 10:48 AMSF Workplace Communication ExaminerKenya McCullum

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Roman Polanski: Brilliant artist or brutal rapist? (AP Photo/Keystone, Ennio Leanza)

Since Roman Polanski was arrested in Switzerland, several members of the artistic community have rallied around him and pronounced that he should be free to return to his lavish lifestyle and create his great art. Film directors like Woody Allen, Pedro Almodovar, and David Lynch signed a petition demanding his immediate release. During the Zurich Film Festival, many attendees wore "Free Polanski" stickers to show their solidarity. On “The View”, Whoopi Goldberg explained that she felt Polanski was not guilty of “rape rape”. It seems that because Roman Polanski is a great director, he gets a free pass to get away with a brutal sexual assault.

“This Roman Polanski case has shown us that when you are loved by a group of people, they are far more likely to excuse your behavior than if you are mediocre or subpar in your performance of your duties,” said Lisa Spahr of Spahr Consulting.

But that’s in La-La Land and most of us don’t breathe the rarefied air that’s found in Hollywood. In the real world, if our colleagues or our companies discover that we have committed a crime—and not even a violent one—it is unlikely that they will come to our defense so readily.

“Most smart companies today, no matter what their size, are reacting very quickly when they discover one of their employees has allegedly committed a crime,” said Spahr. “They are moving to this model because when you and I are in a workplace, we do not only represent ourselves—we are an extension of our companies, our products, and our services.”

This swift action by a company is particularly important when news of an employee’s arrest has been plastered all over the local news for the whole community to see. Publicity will pressure companies to do the right thing and they will not have the luxury of waiting until the employee’s legal case is complete before they act.

When most people are arrested, they can expect their companies to—at the very least—put them on administrative leave as the circumstances surrounding the arrest are investigated. The employee may be paid during this time, but will not be allowed to come to work or act as a representative of the company in any way until the investigation is complete. In many cases, the employee will just be fired outright because there are policies in place that address termination for cause—which can include criminal conduct.

No matter how good someone may be at their job, or how well-liked they are by their colleagues, companies must look at the bigger picture—which is to protect their image and their employees. The “but he’s good at his job” defense would not fly in the real world. Even if an employee is accused of a nonviolent crime, such as shoplifting, some action will most likely be taken by the employer.

“Companies can’t have a violent offender in the office because other people are at risk. But they also don’t want thieves in the company because then their assets are at risk,” said workplace expert Donna Flagg, founder of The Krysalis Group. “In those cases, companies are within their right—and are going to feel it's necessary—to protect the employees and the business from that behavior.”

Poll: Should your private life affect your career?

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