"That was the most brilliant, 'yup, I boffed the employee' admission I've ever seen, and believe me, I've seen a few. I would totally just give him the written warning."
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October 02, 2009
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Beyond brilliant. He sleeps multiple times with multiple subordinates and comes off looking like a victim -- which technically, he is. Let us all celebrate sleazy behavior!
Were I his PR counsel, I'd have advised exact same strategy.
Posted by: Bill Sledzik | October 02, 2009 at 12:05 PM
If anyone out there still thinks that people who work together never get involved in sexual relationships with one another [Really?!] then they must still be living in the 50's. And, in most workplace involvements one party is in a junior position to the other person - just by the law of averages.
As far as I know there have been no allegations that Letterman coerced the women he had sex with. Unless there was coercion, this is simply a consenting adults workplace relationship and is frankly nobody's business but those involved. So I would have to agree that the way he handled it is entirely appropriate.
If anyone is "sleazy" here, I'd say it's the blackmailer.
Posted by: Kristen | October 02, 2009 at 12:45 PM
Kristen, do you think HR policy should not forbid superiors and subordinates from having sex? Or do you think that we should just do it anyway and not get caught?
Posted by: David Murray | October 02, 2009 at 12:47 PM
I think that employees should adhere to the policies of the organization which they work for. If they know when they join the company that "fraternizing" with any other employees of the company is prohibited [and I worked somewhere that was the policy] and they do it anyway, they should be prepared to accept the result - usually termination of both employees.
However, if the company does not prohibit such involvement, and [and this is important] the relationship is consensual and doesn't impact the employees' ability to do their jobs, it's nobody's business.
All that said, I personally think getting involved in a personal/sexual relationship with ANYONE who works for the same company you do is one of THE dumbest decisions there is. It rarely turns out well, and work is fraught enough as it is with problems and pitfalls. Adding sex into the mix? Dumb, dumber, and dumbest!!!
Posted by: Kristen | October 02, 2009 at 01:08 PM
Has everyone forgotten that Dave had a committed relationship for 23 years with the woman he married and had a child with? Hmmm? Just thought I'd add a little context.
And this is the man who ripped Elliot Spitzer a new one for his trysts with a hooker. More than a little hypocrisy there, no?
Still, he comes out smellin' like a rose. As a friend of mine posted to Facebook: Things we WON'T see on Letterman: "Top 10 Reasons Not to Sleep with Your Staff."
Posted by: Bill Sledzik | October 02, 2009 at 01:42 PM
I don't know, Bill. I agree that Dave has apparently wriggled out of this one amazingly easily, but one reason is that I don't think he has ever claimed to be Mr. Family Guy. He DID stop short of marrying his companion. Perhaps they have some kind of understanding?
I think Dave's reputation as a comic-not-a-role-model has helped him here.
In the whole realm of reality Letterman has created world, consternation doesn't seem to apply to anyone but hypocrites. (Of which Spitzer, it can be argued, was a bigger one than Dave.)
Posted by: David Murray | October 02, 2009 at 01:48 PM
I'm not sure there are gradations to hypocrisy. I was underwhelmed by the whole confession.
Posted by: Eileen B | October 02, 2009 at 03:14 PM
If there aren't gradations to hypocrisy, then we're all in equally deep and stinking shit.
I, too, found his confession to be a song and dance. Masterly singing and dancing, singing and dancing nonetheless.
Posted by: David Murray | October 02, 2009 at 03:32 PM
Exactly. We're all in a pile. So don't cast the first stone, but don't try to act like what you did wasn't so bad either.
I'd be crushed if I was his partner right now, and no amount of light-hearted humor would change that. In fact, it would make it worse.
Posted by: Eileen B | October 02, 2009 at 03:33 PM
The real question is, how weird do you think it would be so sleep with David Letterman????
Steve C.
Posted by: Steve C. | October 02, 2009 at 03:58 PM
As usual - Crescenzo gets right to the heart of the issue! Cause, yeah, Letterman's pretty much always been a creepy a**hole, and frankly, I wouldn't sleep with him if he gave me a signed commitment to make me head of the network [even if I believed he could].
Posted by: Kristen | October 02, 2009 at 04:07 PM