As one door closes, another opens. As The Apprentice fades slowly from our screens, series nine of Big Brother hits them. And we're already wondering what misfits Endelmol will have dredged up, and looking forward to a rainy summer spent wondering how they can hold down a job, never mind function within society beyond the BB house.
The lessons of the last eight series haven't been learnt. Prospective housemates don't seem to have realised that the best they can hope for is a couple of months of Z-list glory before heading back to their day jobs. Nor has it occurred to them that their antics will be watched by a whole host of would-be (or in this case, 'won't-be') employers.
As Sarah Turner, employment law partner at Turner Parkinson, points out, most employers would not consider allowing a member of staff to have a potential three months off work to spend as a Big Brother contestant, not least because of the risk of the housemate bringing the company into disrepute: "Businesses generally recognise that any Big Brother-generated media attention will be negative, since most people that go on the show are keen to move up the fame rankings, rather than up a career ladder."
Participation in the show also raises questions of how an employee represents their company outside working hours. As Beverley Smith-Jagger, director at Chester's Sellick Partnership says: "It is hard for employers to impose any real guidelines on their staff if they meet a client by chance on a Saturday night. We encourage our clients to trust their employees to be professional and have the common sense to not behave in a manner that might have a negative impact on their company's image."
Sarah Turner adds that "What people get up to in their private lives, unless it impacts on their job, is largely their own business. It will be hard for an employer to dismiss a member of staff without hard evidence that their actions have damaged the reputation of the company. That said, all employees owe a duty of good faith and fidelity to their employer, which means that they cannot act in a manner contrary to the interests of the employer."
Worth remembering next time you considering donning your sparkly bikini and matching cowboy boots to queue for a Big Brother audition.
