The lesson for employers from Sam Allardyce's departure as
England manager is that when an organisation holds itself to higher
standards of behaviour and propriety, it can require its employees
to do the same.
That's the view of Ogier employment lawyer Daniel Read, who
says that while Allardyce's comments may have been
uncontroversial had he been a Premier League manager or a football
fan, the fact that English football's governing body explicitly
and publicly holds itself to higher standards meant that they had a
legitimate expectation that its employees would meet those
standards.
The FA's 'DNA' resource lays out those standards
clearly – saying that: "We strive for the highest
standards on and off the field. Nothing less is acceptable."
– and that point meant that comments that may have been
acceptable in other roles were not acceptable in the £3
million per year job of England Manager.
