Nurse Seong Oh, 57, was discharged from his position at Auckland City Hospital after hugging a fellow nurse “too tightly” in Feb. 2021, Stuff.co.nz reported. Oh allegedly greeted a coworker with a hug before holding tightly onto their waist and then brushing their cheek, according to an Auckland District Court hearing.
While Judge Tony Fitzgerald said the hospital had a culture of hugging, the female coworker reportedly felt that Oh was trying to kiss her.
Oh reportedly attempted to apologize as the nurse left the area to inform a supervisor. Oh previously admitted to a charge of indecent assault. Judge Fitzgerald added that a tribunal hearing will dictate if Oh must surrender his nursing registration. If convicted, Oh will also be unable to visit his elderly father within the U.S.
“Don’t touch your colleagues unless you are confident that they are happy with, and expecting, that physical contact,” Maeltzer, a partner at the Auckland law firm Hesketh Henry, told Scrubs Magazine. “That’s just a life rule.
“On the other side of it, if you feel uncomfortable with an interaction with a colleague, you should raise your concerns.
Tim Sackett, president of HRU Technical Resources, added that hugging coworkers requires communication and consent.
“Hugging peers is probably okay, but only for those you do not see every day, and only if they are comfortable with it,” Sackett told Scrubs Magazine. “It can be a good idea to let someone know you are a hugger and ask permission before going in for a hug. This gives him/her a chance to decline the hug if s/he is uncomfortable.”
Having initially worked in construction before training to be a nurse in 2015, Oh first arrived in New Zealand in 2000 from Korea. Since being dismissed from Auckland City Hospital, Oh has been working at a sushi restaurant and volunteering at the Auckland City Mission.
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