Tuesday, November 9th, 2021
Lessons from Causa Reichelt
Springer wants clarity about employee relationships
After the dismissal of “Bild” editor-in-chief Reichelt for abuse of power, Springer Verlag wants to prevent similar cases. The employees of the group should now provide information about love relationships with colleagues and accept a new code of conduct.
The Axel Springer Verlag is planning stricter rules for all employees after the affair surrounding the former “Bild” boss Julian Reichelt. Accordingly, love relationships between managers and the workforce must be disclosed internally in the future, as a company spokesman said. The board had already decided this in April. This is subject to co-determination and therefore one is in talks with the works council to find a solution.
CEO and major shareholder Mathias Döpfner admitted that the rules for relationships in the workplace in the USA are stricter. “We can not accept double standards,” said Döpfner of the “Financial Times”. One would apply a global rule based on the Anglo-Saxon standards, less on the “loose, lower European standards”.
In the spring, there had been compliance proceedings against Reichelt on charges of abuse of power, for example against women. Since Reichelt did not clearly separate personal and professional life afterwards and had a relationship with a “Bild” employee, Springer threw him out.
The Berliners see themselves as Europe’s largest digital publisher and would like to become more involved in the US media market on the way to becoming number one worldwide. Springer recently bought the US news company Politico and made the largest investment in the company’s history – according to insiders for more than a billion dollars. The development is particularly delicate for Springer because research by the “New York Times” led to the separation from Reichelt and the corporate culture of “Bild” and Springer came under fire in the USA.
From Springer’s point of view, employee representatives prevented a regulation on relationships four years ago. If there is no compromise, one will expect from all employees worldwide that they respect the code of conduct, said Döpfner of the “Financial Times”. “If you don’t behave accordingly, you have to leave the company.”