Can ‘conduct unbecoming’ be grounds for a fair dismissal?

John Terry’s alleged extramarital affair with the girlfriend of his England teammate, Wayne Bridge, made headlines and led him to be stripped of the national captaincy. Some people may feel that his conduct was unacceptable for someone in a position of such responsibility and he got what he deserved. But could a senior manager in any other line of work have been treated the same way?

Reputation
An employee doing something that attracts adverse publicity for their organisation may provide grounds for dismissal – for example, where a press report names an employee who has been convicted of a criminal offence. The employer may have genuine concerns that this could bring its name into disrepute by association. John Terry’s conduct will be open to examination by the press. Senior managers in most other lines of work would be highly unlikely to attract such media attention in similar circumstances.