Caught on camera: When CEOs blur the lines

We’re changing up our name!

Because… It’s not the work. 

It’s never just the work. It’s the people. The patterns we repeat. The silent power games. The invisible loyalties. The way teams break, or bond, under pressure.

This week in workplace whiplash 🌀

Stability? Who’s heard of that? From RTO clashes to mental-health breakthroughs, here’s what HR pros are talking about:

• 😎 Small startups use remote work to poach talent
  While big players like Amazon and Goldman Sachs push for return-to-office mandates, small firms are leaning in on flexibility, offering remote perks that experts say can boost retention, cut costs, and even feel like an 8% salary bump.
   👉 Business Insider

• 😟 Dell employees say “tell dell”—results unsettling
  Results from Dell’s “Tell Dell” engagement survey alarmed staff: eNPS dropped 50% in two years, landing at just 32. Employees are vocal, even HR chief Saavedra admitted folks are “not ok.”
   👉 Times of India

• 😰 Four-day work week shows burnout benefits worldwide
  Global pilots across six countries confirm shorter weeks improve physical and mental health and reduce burnout, according to new research.
   👉 Euronews Health

• 👩‍💻 Workplace romance trending—but watch the power dynamics
  Workplace romances are rising and 60% of people say they’ve experienced one. Experts caution that romantic relationships, especially involving power, need transparent policies to avoid fallout.
   👉 Business Insider

And speaking of blurred lines and trust at work, let’s talk about what happens when the CEO and HR take centre stage… literally.

I've seen a few bad workplace romances in my time, but at least none of them made it to the jumbotron.

Last week, a CEO and his Head of HR got caught getting cosy at a Coldplay concert — swaying, snuggling, and setting back HR credibility one verse of Yellow at a time.

The fallout was swift. The CEO was suspended, and a formal investigation is now underway. While the company insists there was no policy breach, the court of public opinion was less forgiving. For many employees, it wasn’t about rules, it was about what this moment represented.

A Harvard Business School blog on ethical leadership warns: grey‑area decisions by those in power carry the greatest reputational risk. People expect leaders to not only follow rules but to embody them.

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🧠 The behavioural science of why this feels so ick

This isn’t just gossip, it’s a classic cocktail of organisational psychology triggers:

• 🔺 Power asymmetry & fairness
  Research into power asymmetry shows that when leaders appear to operate above the rules, trust erodes fast.

• 👀 Signalling & trust
  Leaders’ actions instantly shape culture. A public CEO-HR romance triggered a suspension and investigation, illustrating how trust signals from leadership matter. Research shows behaviours from those in authority are pivotal to employee trust and engagement.

• 🚫 Norm violation
  Even when no official rules are broken, crossing unwritten workplace boundaries feels wrong. A Nature study found norm violations spark automatic punishment via gossip, exclusion, or confrontation. This is because humans rely heavily on shared expectations to maintain social order.

• 🪞 Moral licensing
  Research demonstrates that leaders often feel their past good deeds earn them moral credit - but employees see it differently.

✨ Here’s what savvy HR teams are doing instead

You don’t need to outlaw workplace relationships. But you do need guardrails that are practical, fair, and protect everyone involved.

• ✅ Make your policies clear on relationships that involve power imbalances, reporting lines, or influence over hiring and promotions. Vague guidelines leave too much open to interpretation (and risk). Be explicit about expectations.

• ✅ Build transparent disclosure processes that don’t just tick boxes but actually protect the people, and the teams, involved. Confidential reporting, third-party oversight, and formal documentation should be standard.

• ✅ Remove any direct influence a leader may have over their partner’s professional trajectory, including performance reviews, pay decisions, project assignments, or internal mobility. No one should have to wonder if favouritism is at play.

• ✅ Recognise that culture is shaped by what people see, not what you write down. A values poster in the hallway won’t matter if leadership actions tell a different story.

And finally, accept that optics matter. In an era of workplace surveillance, viral TikToks, and employee Reddit threads, culture is public by default. A concert crowd today could be a Glassdoor headline tomorrow.

💬 Final thoughts

Leadership isn’t just about performance metrics. It’s about what people believe you stand for… especially when the music starts, the lights go down, and the cameras come out.