Redstone’s Reckoning: Political Expression vs. Professional Conduct

Abstract

Many organizations expect their employees to remain neutral by refraining from sharing political opinions both in the office environment and on personal social media platforms that could be associated with the company. This case study looks at the complex implications of a company discovering an employee sharing their political beliefs online with comments containing racist language. The incident triggered challenges regarding the balance between respecting individual freedom of expression and maintaining workplace standards of inclusion and respect. The study analyzes the company's response process, internal communication strategies, and disciplinary measures. The case is suitable to be assigned for in-class discussion in undergraduate Human Resource Management, Organizational Behavior, or Management Skills courses.