Conduct Of An Amsterdam University Lecturer: Creative Or Transgressive?

Since the rise of #metoo, transgressive behaviour¹ in the workplace has been a hot topic involving a wide spectrum of industries - from sports clubs to politics and from television to education.

Although public outcry is often great, courts in the Netherlands do not readily assume the existence of serious culpability, especially if the employer does not have a specific policy prohibiting such behaviour. Adhering to the basic principle, "A transition payment must be paid, unless...," the employee may still receive a transition payment, which is the statutory severance in the Netherlands. This was what an Amsterdam university experienced in a recent case before the Amsterdam sub-district court.