Wednesday, 4 July: it’s summer, the days are long, it’s warm and sunny. Marc, Kevin, Miguel, Nicolas and Thomas¹, five colleagues from CERN, decide to go to the Bains des Pâquis in Geneva to relax after work. They head into town on the tram, getting off at Cornavin and continuing their journey on foot. On the way, they encounter a few young women, on their own or in groups, and try their luck with a few compliments to break the ice. When they get to the Bains, they take a table and order the obligatory fondue, washed down with a local white wine. The evening draws on and the wine flows freely. After paying the bill, they decide to go down to the lakeside before leaving the Bains. There aren’t a lot of people about at that time, and they spot a young woman coming out of the sauna, dressed in just her bikini bottoms, heading to the lake to cool off. Kevin and Thomas surreptitiously pull out their mobile phones and start taking photos of the young woman, without her knowing. Two other colleagues from CERN, Jennifer and Claire-Lise², also happen to be there and look on, dumbfounded and shocked by what they see. They are all the more offended when they notice that the five friends are still wearing their CERN badges, which they had forgotten to take off when they left work. Other bystanders are equally appalled. Jennifer and Claire-Lise think about saying something to their discourteous colleagues, but decide against causing a scene in public and leave right away.

This behaviour is completely unacceptable. What’s more, remember that, wherever you are, if you are identifiable as being associated with CERN, your behaviour may have a negative impact on CERN’s reputation. You are ambassadors, and CERN expects exemplary behaviour, worthy of a prestigious institution that is financed by contributions from 22 Member States. This is one of the key principles of our Code of Conduct. The attitude of Marc, Kevin, Miguel, Nicolas and Thomas was seedy, undignified and disrespectful to the young woman, especially somewhere like the Bains des Pâquis where she was well within her rights to walk around the sauna area in the attire of her choice, without being harassed. Their public behaviour has made our institution look bad. If they recognise themselves in this article, they need to understand that their behaviour goes against what is expected by the Staff Rules and Regulations and that such acts could result in disciplinary measures being taken.

If you’d like to comment on any of my articles or suggest a topic that I could write about, please don’t hesitate to e-mail me at Ombuds@cern.ch.

1 - Names have been changed
2 - Names have been changed