Overview

What action can employers take if they are unhappy about an employee's personal life? This question has been highlighted by the recent removal of John Terry as captain of the England football team following allegations of an extra-marital affair with a former teammate's ex-girlfriend.

Employees are generally entitled to keep their personal lives private and it will usually be unfair to discipline or dismiss someone for conduct outside work, unless there is some clear impact on the workplace. This could be the case, for example, if the out-of-work conduct damages the employer's reputation, causes real dissent among colleagues or causes the employee's performance to slip. Simply disapproving of an employee's personal life would not be enough.

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