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A boss has sparked a heated debate after revealing she once fired two employees without a second thought after finding out they had been cheating on their romantic partners.
Natalie Dawson is the co-founder and president of Cardone Ventures, a US business management company that helps entrepreneurs and business owners with financial goals and growth.
Dawson recently appeared on the Diary of a CEO podcast, which is hosted by British entrepreneur and investor, Steve Bartlett.
A segment of the episode has since gone viral, in which the 32-year-old founder revealed her decision to sack two of her employees after discovering they were having an affair, adding that she would make the same decision again in a heartbeat.
“One of things I have gotten so much criticism about online was when I publicly shared a TikTok about firing somebody because I found out she was cheating on her significant other and the other person also had a significant other,” Dawson said.
“As soon as I found out about it I terminated both of them immediately.”
She confirmed that neither of the employees ’ partners worked for the company, but she made the decision to fire them “as soon as I caught wind of it”, adding she couldn’t have that kind of behaviour in her work environment.
Her decision appeared to shock Bartlett, who suggested some may think that what employees do in their personal lives is “none of (her) business”.
Dawson said that, while she didn’t want to get into the specifics of the incident, it did “happen around work”.
However, she clarified that, even if it wasn’t directly work-related, if she found out her employee was cheating on their partner she would “fire the person immediately”.
“If they are going to cheat on the person they are supposed to spend the rest of their life with, do you think they are cheating on their work? That person is a liability to the environment,” she said.
But the host refused to back down, pointing out that the way people act in their personal lives can be “very different to the way they show up professionally”.
“People do all kinds of things in their personal life. I don’t consider that to be my business,” Bartlet said.
Dawson was quick to disagree, saying it is “absolutely my business” if someone has a problem in their personal life, as it is that same person then showing up to work.
But the podcast host wasn’t convinced, telling the founder that he doesn’t want to be the “government” of his employees’ personal situations and as long as their issues don’t show up in the office, it isn’t his concern.
From Dawson’s perspective, she said she can’t separate what someone is doing at home and not think that is going to “bleed over into our environment”.
Since being shared online, the clip of the discussion has gone completely viral, sitting at more than 1.7 million views and attracting thousands of comments.
It is clearly a contentious issue, with the responses appearing to be fairly evenly split between those who agreed with the action Dawson took and those who sided with Bartlet’s perspective.
One commenter branded the founder’s behavior “utterly controlling”, saying it was a “disgrace” and that companies should have no say in someone’s personal life.
“What people do outside of hours of work is no concern to companies or corporations. They don’t have the power to dictate how you live your life outside of the eight hours you owe them a day,” another said, with one agreeing that it “has nothing to do with her”.
Others even went as far as to question the legality of terminating employees on this basis.
However, there were plenty of those who praised Dawson for her quick action, with multiple people saying it makes them want to work for her business.
“Workplace affairs bring unnecessary tension, unwanted attention, and chaos when discovered or when they end. Taking part in one speaks volumes about a person’s integrity,” one said.
“People that cheat in the personal life will also cheat in their business life,” another wrote.
One person said they couldn’t believe how many people were taking issue with the firings, while another said that a “person who lacks honesty and integrity is not an employee I’d want in my company either.”
In the wake of the video going viral, Dawson addressed the interview on her LinkedIn, writing that firing is not about punishing employees, it is about protecting the company.
“As leaders, it’s our responsibility to create an environment where people can grow in the right direction. That means holding the line on integrity, even when it’s uncomfortable,” she wrote.
“If someone is disingenuous in their personal life, that behaviour doesn’t magically stop when they walk into the office.
“Character is consistent. And if I tolerate dishonesty in one area, I set a new standard for everyone else watching.”
The founder said that many view firing as a taboo topic, but she doesn’t believe this should be the case.
“The culture you build depends on what you allow. So the real question is: what are you tolerating in your environment?” she said.
