Job (51)

Hermione

Redridinghood82 wrote: In contracts with Child and Adolescent Mental Health, where i work as a therapist, it is stated that i will not engage in conduct unbecoming of a trusted and congruent health professional...sadly i too have similar constant worries, doesn't seem fair..but i do think that it's reasonable, if only, in that should parents of children, who feel strongly about my personal choices, lose faith and trust in me, that is bound to affect my working relationship with their child :o( ...i think many of us are walking the line by being here...my balance always was good

What if the reason they lost faith in you was not because of your BDSM inclinations but because you were bisexual - which you may be, as your profile says looking for male or female?

Would that be reasonable? You may think so, I don't know, but the law doesn't, they couldn't sack you for that reason no matter how strongly any of your 'clients' felt about it.

The question is, why should BDSM be treated any differently? The answer, generally, is because of ignorance rather than for any sound reason.

I am also in a career which could be affected, but I would be prepared to fight if it came to it. However to have any chance of winning you do probably need to have a degree of discretion as things stand - if you do nothing which makes you clearly identifiable online, and do nothing which links you clearly to your profession then even if a bit of research could identify you you do have a reasonable argument for saying you have made a fair balance between your right to a private life and the need not to associate your employers with anything 'disreputable'.

I am in a similar situation to the original poster; a carer and profession that will undoubtably lead to a serious allegation should my details and likes/dislikes be discovered. Yet, at what point does the line get drawn? Consider this following list of my personal tastes? Which one would you 'sack' me on?

1. Talking through issues with people; friends, colleagues and family. 2. Enjoy sculpture and life-study. 3. Listening to a playing in metal, rock and blues/jazz bands (bass guitar) 4. Being an active member of a band where my pictures and some video is on the internet. 5. Posting that I think Shakira's arse is amazing in a video on FB. 6. Being seen in public walking down the street in leathers and a riding crop. 7. Bending a young lady over my knee and giving her a polite spanking for wrongdoing in a club.

My tastes and hobbies are MINE dammit but I've been told I'll be reprimanded for any of the above (in certain circumstances) if my employer becomes aware.

How vanilla and 'safe' does life have to be.

I enjoy whipping a girl in a club; doesn't mean I want to go kiddy-fiddling, mugging grannies or stealing the crown jewels.

Life....so unfair (emo sigh)

Qui docet discit.

So, is there some connection between working with children and being into (adult) bdsm in your private life?? I do hope not, as the tabloids would have an entirely prurient and ill-informed field day with that theory!

Nah. It's just that people like me, whose jobs probably wouldn't be compromised by any revelations (not that I want to find out, particularly), wouldn't usually post on this sort of thread. It's a self-selecting audience, really.

Working with children? Fuck no. Don't have any myself, and spending 35+ hours a week with other people's - well, hell, I might be a bit masochistic but I'm not that bad!

would someone who works with children be sack if they had other sexual preference not including the obvious

wonder what would happen if a person working with children was gay and outed

This is probably a massive stretch, but I'd like to think that there is a correlation between people who are into kink and people who like taking care of people...

And yes, I'm a hopeless idealist.

Good thread though - it's convinced me to crop out my face from my picture.

People into kink are possibly people who like to care for others....quite possibly. Very true for me.

Qui docet discit.

They would be protected in law.

I think, and its an opinion, that those in this kind of situation need to entertain what would qualify as bringing your employer into disrepute or make your job untenable to the point that the employer had grounds for dismissal.

I doubt anyone could be sacked (and not win the subsequent unfair dismissal case) for simply being kinky, however, having inappropriate content on the internet, and appearing in the NOTW, makes it easy.

As an example if someone tried to out @NeedyPickle by telling her employer about her profile on here, then I don't see that could be used to sack her - even if the details she has here make it fairly obvious it probably was her (height/weight/postcode etc) - most would see was keeping it private and it *required* a malicious person to make it apparent.

On the other hand, if it became known to clients/kids/colleagues for whatever reason, the employer probably doesn't have to argue disrepute very strongly at all....

All IMHO.

And all men kill the thing they love, By all let this be heard, Some do it with a bitter look, Some with a flattering word, The coward does it with a kiss, The brave man with a sword!

Edited 23 Jan 11, 11:46 PM by Attitude_Adjuster