How to Strengthen Your Workplace Brand: Lessons From a Kiss-Cam Scandal
At a Coldplay concert in July 2025, the Jumbotron/“kiss cam” focused on Cabot and Byron in a seemingly intimate moment. Their startled reaction went viral. Coldplay’s frontman, Chris Martin, quipped to the audience: “Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy.”
Soon after, the Astronomer’s board launched a formal internal investigation. Both Byron and Cabot were placed on leave, then resigned: Byron first, then Cabot.
The company emphasised accountability, but the fallout was already widespread — not just internally but across social media.
Why This Scenario Is a Warning Sign for Workplace Culture
This isn’t just a “celebrity gossip” story — it’s a powerful illustration of how a workplace brand can unravel when leadership doesn’t act (or is perceived to have tolerated) behaviour that undermines trust.
Conflict of Interest & Power Imbalance
Cabot was the head of HR, responsible for “people strategy,” while Byron was her CEO. For many employees, seeing a close personal relationship — or the appearance of one — between HR leadership and the CEO raises legitimate questions: Can HR really act impartially? When people whisper that “HR’s too close to the boss,” that trust is shattered.
The Damage of Public Exposure to a Workplace Brand
Because the “kiss cam” moment went viral, what started as a potentially internal HR matter quickly spiralled into a public relations crisis. The company’s internal culture became fodder for the company's external narrative. The scandal forced the Astronomer’s hand — resignations, investigation, public statements — and exposed a vulnerability in its leadership and brand.
Inaction or Silence Hurts More Than Mistakes
If staff “knew” about inappropriate closeness between the CEO and HR, but nobody in leadership addressed it, the damage compounds. People can feel complicit or powerless. That kind of unspoken tension erodes psychological safety: employees think, “If they tolerate this, what else don’t they care to fix?”
Exit Resolution
Cabot’s resignation may have closed a chapter, but it wasn’t a clean reset. Exiting doesn’t automatically fix the underlying damage. Trust is broken. Many will wonder whether the board’s investigation addressed systemic issues or just managed optics.
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Lessons for Organisations: Strengthening Your Workplace Brand
Using this example, here are some practical takeaways for companies that want to prevent (or recover from) such workplace brand-damaging events:
Be Proactive on Ethics and Boundaries
Senior leadership (especially HR) must clearly define and enforce boundaries around personal relationships in the workplace.
Conflict-of-interest policies should be actively communicated and reinforced, not just written in the employee handbook.
Encourage Speak-Up Cultures
Enable safe, confidential channels for employees to raise concerns — especially when it involves senior people. Train managers to notice and act on early warning signs, not just “deal with it if it goes public.”
Handle Crises Transparently
When a workplace brand-damaging crisis happens, don’t just “spin it”; communicate genuinely about values, accountability, and next steps. Show that investigations will be meaningful, not just symbolic.
Repair Culture After Exits
After a senior departure, bring teams together to acknowledge what was wrong and what will change. This is a marathon, not a sprint — use the moment to recommit to your values, rebuild trust, and possibly redefine your people-leadership structure.
Monitor External Brand Risk
In today’s world, personal behaviour by high-profile executives is part of your public brand. Be prepared: reputation risk isn’t just about financials or product — it’s also about values and integrity.
Why the Cabot-Byron Case Resonates
This isn’t just a scandal; it’s a modern parable about the fragile power of trust in workplace relationships. When the people who are supposed to guard your company’s culture become the story themselves — especially in a viral, public way — it’s a wake-up call. The exit of a senior leader doesn’t erase the damage. What matters more is whether the company learns, rebuilds, and rebuilds with integrity.
For any organisation, workplace brand is not just what you present to the outside world — it’s how you handle real human behaviour when things go wrong. Cabot’s case is a stark reminder: your actions in crisis define your culture far more than your values when things are going well.
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