Video forces senior staff resignations at finance firm

Two senior members of staff at an insurance company have been forced to resign, following the leak of a video meeting in which they were compromised.

Rupert Pleasant was the CEO of Guernsey Finance and was caught on the video with a female executive from the same company. According to news reports, it showed them in a ‘compromising situation’ as well as engaging in gossip about other employees of the company. This video was seen by their co-workers when the pair failed to switch off the record button on a computer after a training session for staff.

Now both have left the company, with a spokesperson stating that they had breached the required professional standards. It serves as a reminder of the importance of HR in the modern business world and has sparked a discussion about how similar events should be handled.

In most instances, the first step for HR services in Hertfordshire will be to ascertain exactly what happened. This will enable them to establish what support is needed and what risks are involved.

Executive coach Natasha Wallace told HR Magazine that both managers and HR should focus on demonstrating the right kind of workplace behaviour. She argued that policies are of little use if people at the top of the organisation do not lead by example.

Wallace then went on to add that this does not have to mean a blanket workplace relationship ban. Instead, it is about those in senior positions having a clear grasp of what that responsibility entails in terms of behaviour.