Manager in China fired for kissing subordinate in office, court rules in favour of boss
Appeal court says that while company states staff should uphold high business, moral standards, this is merely a principle not mandatory
A senior manager in eastern China, who was dismissed for kissing a female subordinate in the office, took his employer to court and won a case that captivated mainland social media.
The final verdict of the lawsuit was delivered in 2017. However, the Shanghai General Trade Union only shared a summary of the case online on May 22 as part of a labour law education campaign, leaving unexplained the reasons for the lengthy delay.
The executive, identified only as Lin, was a production supervisor at a foreign shipping company in Qingdao, Shandong province.
He was terminated in May 2015 for violating company policies by sexually harassing a female employee and abusing his power for personal gain.
The company’s decision stemmed from surveillance footage that showed Lin hugging and kissing a female worker, surnamed Shi, on the office stairs.
Their marital statuses were not disclosed in the verdict.