New England Biz Law Update
It was supposed to be a sweet moment. Two concertgoers swaying to Coldplay under the stars, caught in a lingering embrace on the stadium’s kiss cam.
Instead, it triggered a firestorm for tech company Astronomer, whose CEO Andy Byron and Chief People Officer Kristin Cabot were the now-infamous couple on-screen. Within days, both had resigned.
While the headlines veered into tabloid territory, the underlying HR issues are anything but gossip. For companies navigating workplace relationships, especially among senior leadership, the Astronomer saga is a loud reminder: clear policies, transparent disclosure, and swift accountability matter.
Here are five key lessons for employers that have emerged from the fallout:
- Disclosure policies need to be clear: Romantic relationships in the workplace aren’t inherently problematic. But undisclosed relationships between people with power imbalances, particularly when one or both are in senior leadership, raise red flags.
Even if no policies were technically violated, the appearance of favoritism or ethical conflicts can erode trust. If your company allows workplace relationships, disclosure expectations should be:
- Clearly documented in the code of conduct.
- Consistently enforced, regardless of seniority.
- Supported by a confidential process that encourages proactive disclosure.
- HR must be empowered to investigate even the CPO: One of the thorniest parts of this story? The CPO was part of the relationship under scrutiny.
That underscores the importance of having a neutral third-party mechanism for escalating complaints or conflicts involving HR leaders themselves. Whether that’s the board, outside counsel, or an ombuds office, the system needs to work even when an HR team member is the subject and not just the enforcer of the rules.
- Conduct matters, even outside the office: The Coldplay kiss cam incident happened off the clock. But that didn’t stop it from becoming an HR crisis.
Companies should be clear in their policies that off-duty conduct can still reflect on leadership and corporate culture, especially in the age of viral video. While every case is different, executives are generally held to a higher standard and public perception plays a role in determining whether “off-duty” crosses the line.
- Office romance can have business consequences: Astronomer’s leadership shuffle happened in under a week. The CEO resigned July 19, and the CPO was gone by July 24. Beyond the internal chaos, the story made headlines globally.
For HR, this example serves as a reminder that scandals involving leaders’ personal conduct don’t stay personal for long. They can affect morale, retention, investor confidence, and reputation.
- Culture doesn’t happen by accident: Finally, the story puts a spotlight on company culture. Do your values translate into expectations for behavior? Do employees trust that everyone – even top executives – will be held accountable?
HR has a powerful role to play in defining and reinforcing that culture. But it requires courage, consistency, and support from the top.
In a culture where the lines between public and private are increasingly blurred, HR needs to be ready with policies that address real-life messiness before it ends up on the front page.
