THE DUST has mostly settled now, hasn’t it? The memes have slowed, the online outrage has cooled, and the schadenfreude that filled our feeds after that infamous Coldplay concert clip is starting to fade. But that viral moment—where former Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and Chief People Officer Kristin Cabot shared what appeared to be an intimate exchange on the jumbotron, ducking and hiding after Chris Martin himself acknowledged them mid-performance—still lingers in the minds of those of us who care about workplace ethics, power dynamics, and HR’s deeper role beyond compliance checklists.
To the chismis crowd, it was cringe TV gold. But for those of us who’ve spent years in HR trenches—where trust is fragile, and speaking up can mean career hara-kiri—it hit like a badly timed “performance review.” This wasn’t just two consenting adults being awkward. This was the guardian of workplace ethics getting caught with her hand in the cookie jar—and the CEO holding the lid.
This moment took me back to an experience I had in a former role at a multinational company. I had a colleague—well-known, well-dressed, well-spoken—who could give a textbook lecture on transformational leadership and ethical frameworks. He spoke of values like he authored them. People admired him; some even feared crossing him. But behind the curtain, it was a different story.
Over time, it became clear to many of us that he embodied what psychologists call the “Dark Triad Personality Traits”: narcissism, Machiavellian tactics, and even a hint of psychopathy. He manipulated people, built alliances only to discard them, and cloaked it all under the language of integrity and organizational values. Ironically, he was the first to call out others for “unethical” behavior. The moral high ground was his stage. Until, of course, it wasn’t. He was eventually let go—for precisely the kind of misconduct he so loudly condemned in others.
So when I saw the clip of the CPO and CEO, caught in that jumbotron moment, something inside me sighed—not out of judgment, but recognition. I’ve seen this kind of duplicity before. And it stings more when it comes from those who are supposed to set the standard.
This isn’t about vilifying Kristin Cabot or Andy Byron. That’s not the issue in my opinion column. But when you sit at the top of the organizational hierarchy—especially as an HR leader—your choices carry a different weight. You don’t just represent yourself. You represent safety, fairness, accountability. So when boundaries blur at the top, trust erodes all the way down.
And in a culture like ours here in the Philippines—where many employees already feel uneasy raising concerns, where power dynamics are rigid, and where “pakikisama” sometimes outweighs policy—the impact is even deeper. When HR leaders falter, it reinforces the fear that there’s no real system of protection. That even the supposed “ethical guardians” can be compromised.
So no, this isn’t just a Coldplay concert footnote. It’s a wake-up call for the profession. One that asks all of us in HR: Are we walking the talk? Or are we just really good at reciting the handbook?
What we need now isn’t online mockery or moral grandstanding. We need humility. We need conversations that move beyond damage control. We need systems that hold even the highest accountable—because when trust in HR is broken, it’s not easily rebuilt.
And maybe, just maybe, we can learn from these moments—both viral and personal—before they repeat themselves again. (To be continued)
***
Nicasio A. Pimentel III is a UK-certified human resources practitioner and educator with over 15 years of experience spanning HR strategy, analytics, systems integration and talent management across several Fortune Global 500 companies and public sector institutions in UK, Australia and the Middle East. He holds an MSc in Management and Human Resources from the prestigious London School of Economics and a BA Psychology from the University of the Philippines Diliman. A former Christian missionary to marginalized ethnic minorities in Cambodia, he now teaches psychology at the University of Antique and continues to serve underserved communities in Western Visayas through grassroots ministry and education advocacy. He is also an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (Assoc CIPD) in the UK. For questions, e-mail nicasio.pimentel@antiquespride.edu.ph./PN
