EDITORIAL: Don’t fire the messenger

In what workplace and under what set of circumstances would it be acceptable to fire an employee for making a complaint against the boss? In 2018, the answers to that must certainly be: not in any workplace and never.

In bygone decades, when CEOs were all powerful and no one dared to hold them to normal standards of accountability for human behaviour, a boss could fire anyone on a whim. Now due to both the law and social norms, CEOs like everyone else are compelled to behave fairly and to respect all employees, no matter how big or small in the operation that person might be.

We are of course referring to the experience of Adila Chowan, who was fired after complaining that Imperial CEO Mark Lamberti had discriminated against her on grounds of race by denying her promotion opportunities.

On Wednesday, the fallout of the Chowan incident grew, with Lamberti finally admitting not guilt but defeat and stepping down from his role in Imperial in what has been nothing less than a nightmare for him.

So although Lamberti was not found to have been overtly racist — indeed his notionally racist statement was that the company would relish an affirmative action employee — Chowan was found, with justification, to have genuinely been discriminated against.

But if firing Chowan for making such a complaint (an internal inquiry found her complaint to be without foundation) was the only problem, we could charge Lamberti and those at Imperial who were also party to the decision (they were apparently advised to do this by lawyers!) with arrogance and poor judgment. We all know though that it is worse than that: Lamberti was accused of racism, his accuser was fired and now the label of racist is stuck fast to his name. He will pay a very heavy price for the errors made in this debacle.

It is a pity. Lamberti, of all the top CEOs in the country, has displayed outstanding patriotism and commitment to the country. He has been ready to serve, not just his company but the country too, taking on leadership roles in business organisations and engaging on social issues and was willing to help with SA’s biggest problem, Eskom.

Few cases of racism are as explicit as those of Penny Sparrow or Vicki Momberg, who hurled expletives and racial abuse in a hate-fuelled rage. Racism is also subliminal and unconscious. Even those who believe themselves to be completely unbiased can and do hold racist assumptions or make remarks interpreted by others to be racially prejudiced.

In Lamberti’s case, the comments he made in which he referred to Chowan at some point as "an affirmative action" employee were not in themselves racist. He also argued in his defence that Chowan was not promoted because she lacked the attributes of a leader, which was what was required for a position such as chief financial officer.

But, taken together, his words and Chowan’s lack of success in obtaining promotion and her subsequent suspension and firing were interpreted by a court to have created personal injury and hurt and the impression that she had indeed been discriminated against because of her race. So although Lamberti was not found to have been overtly racist — indeed his notionally racist statement was that the company would relish an affirmative action employee — Chowan was found, with justification, to have genuinely been discriminated against.

Now Lamberti is moving on, a chastened man and somewhat unfairly targeted person. In his departing remarks to staff he acknowledged that "we live in a fragile society, polarised society" and that "those of us privileged to lead have an obligation to address the situation with sensitivity and humility".

These are wise words for CEOs and all managers to live by. The smallest remark or gesture, whether intentionally racist or just insensitive and tone deaf to the mood of one’s colleagues, can go nuclear in the age of e-mail, social media and instant messaging, which can at times resemble a kind of mass hysteria. The best way to deal with it is to recognise the mistake immediately and apologise. The stupidest way to deal with it is to fire the messenger, even if that is the advice of your legal team.