American Apparel frowns upon romantic office relationships

The Los Angeles-based fashion retailer American Apparel is no stranger to being featured in the media spotlight due to its inter-office romances and employee slip-ups, especially after news broke that its former CEO and co-founder Dov Charney was sued and accused of alleged misconduct and sexual harassment by a number of employees. However it seems as if the retailer is keen to turn over a new leaf following Charney official dismissal and a new code of business and ethics has been published on the retailer's website which limits future office romances.

American Apparel has fortified rules regarding sexual harassment, abusive conduct and romantic relationships between personnel. The ethics code, which is currently 12 pages long and over four time the length of its predecessor according to Bloomberg, has taken on two new rules which state: "No management-level employee may make sexual advances, welcome or unwelcome, toward any subordinate, regardless of whether the subordinate reports to the management employee, either directly or indirectly," and "No employee who has a personal relationship or romantic relationship with another employee may be in a position with any perceived or actual influence over the other's terms of employment."

American Apparel takes a strong hand to workplace "romantic relationships"

The updated ethics code stresses that "romantic relationship" could refer to either casual dating or committed relationships between employees. The retailer advises any employees who may be in a "romantic relationship" where one person could have any influence over their terms of employment to disclose details to American Apparel's Human Resources Department. Any employees who fail to follow the new ethics code and do not report a "personal" or "romantic relationship" will be "subject to discipline". The fashion retailer notes that the Human resources department aims to handle such private manners as discreetly as possible, but adds that "confidentiality cannot be guaranteed".

Afterwards it is up to Human Resources and American Apparel to determine the nature of the relationship. "Even in the case when a relationship between personnel does not involve a conflict of interest, employees are reminded of the intersection between the Company's Sexual Harassment policy and workplace conduct," points out the code of ethics.

"Unwelcome advances between Company personnel, even outside the workplace, is not professional behaviour and may violate Company policy. Company personnel should never engage in any public displays of affection in the workplace, which may make others uncomfortable. If any harassing conduct or unwelcome advances occur, the aggrieved employee should utilize the procedures for reporting sexual harassment."

The renewed document highlights changes that the board of directors at the fashion retailer aims to make after Charney's exit last year. During his time at American Apparel, Charney was known to regularly attended meetings and work in his office in nothing but his underwear. He was also accused of engaging in sexual activity with a series of employees. Former sales associate Irene Morales claims that Charney kept her as his sex slave for eight months just after her eighteenth birthday. Currently all cases against the disgraced former CEO have either been suspended or settled.

American Apparel adds that its new code of ethics "is not intended to and does not create any rights in any employee, director, customer, supplier, competitor, stockholder or any other person or entity."