American Apparel: The Ethics of Sexual Conduct in the Workplace

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You know something is ethically wrong with a company when the CEO is faced with numerous sexual harassment lawsuits from former employees. To this day, Dov Charney, the founder, chairman and CEO of American Apparel has been sued at least five times for sexual harassment and for creating an explicitly sexual and uncomfortable workplace environment. Charney has a history of being unprofessional with his position and has held many meetings in his bedroom, in which he was wearing nothing but a towel. Charney has also been known to have workers sleep at his residence and he speaks openly about engaging in sexual affairs with many of his employees.

American Apparel's chairman and CEO Dov Charney.

How could a person of Charney’s high position believe that mixing business with pleasure would not lead to problems?

 The overtly sexual atmosphere created by Charney permeates every aspect of American Apparel as a company including provocative advertisements featuring young models. Charney’s inappropriate behaviour calls into question the ethics of the business as a whole. Charney’s actions create an uncomfortable situation for the both the employees as well as the company in question. The new public view of American Apparel subsequent to Charney’s inappropriate conduct as a business leader has resulted in a sullied public reputation.

External Links:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/aug/25/rise-fall-american-apparel

American Apparel and the Ethics of a Sexually Charged Workplace

 Works Cited

Hill, Amelia. “The Rise and Fall of American Apparel.” The Guardian. Guardian News and Media Limited, 25 Aug. 2012. Web. 11 Sept. 2012.

Holson, Laura M. “Chief of American Apparel Faces 2nd Harassment Suit.” The New York Times. The New York Times Company, 23 March. 2011. Web. 11 Sept. 2012.

O’Brien, Gail. “American Apparel and the Ethics of a Sexually Charged Workplace.” Business Ethics. N.p. 15 March. 2011. Web. 11 Sept. 2012.

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