Setting Guidelines and Policies for Office Romances
Since most people spend one-third or more of their lives at work, it’s not surprising that romantic relationships often spring up in the workplace. And given the complexities that can arise from office romances, it’s smart for businesses to establish clear policies that dictate rules for fraternizing between employees.
With singles representing a larger portion of the civilian workforce than ever before, 44 percent, according to the American Management Association, office romances will likely continue to increase. A CareerBuilder.com survey reports that 40 percent of respondents have dated a co-worker at some time in their careers, and 18 percent said they have had at least two office relationships.
Why businesses should care about office romance
officeFrom the employer’s perspective, office romances can result in some awkward situations, especially if things go bad. For example, if two employees end a relationship on bad terms, they would likely have to continue seeing each other at work every day. This can be uncomfortable not only for the employees themselves but also for their co-workers. This situation can be especially damaging if the employees work closely together or are in a supervisor-subordinate relationship. In a worst-case scenario, one employee might have to be reassigned to another department or might end up having to leave your company altogether.
Policies should be clearly communicated to all employees so they know your company’s stance when it comes to office dating. The first issue to tackle as you decide on your office romance policy is whether to allow office dating in the first place.
In previous generations, it was not uncommon for companies to ban dating among employees outright. But this stance has softened considerably in recent years, mainly because prohibiting office romance is very shaky from a legal perspective. It requires that someone in your company attempt to monitor employee relationships, to sniff out romances, and then try to put a stop to them. This is a heavy-handed approach and may do serious damage to employee morale.
More articles from AllBusiness.com:
- Problem Employees: A Guide for Managers
- Workplace Romances: Understanding the Potential Risks for Employers
- Important HR Policies to Have in Writing
Setting guidelines for workers
Instead, it’s usually preferable to set guidelines that govern office romance as part of your office relationship policy statement, for example, strongly discouraging dating between supervisors and their subordinates (again, outright banning of these relationships might not pass legal muster). If such a relationship occurs, stipulate that the subordinate employee must be reassigned to another supervisor or department.
You can also require that employees who are dating sign a legal document in which they both acknowledge that their relationship is consensual and they are aware of your company’s sexual harassment policy. Exposure to a lawsuit by an employee who claims after a breakup that he or she was sexually harassed is one of the biggest dangers of office romance to any business.
Smart business owners will take a proactive stance toward office romance by establishing a policy that sets guidelines for office dating, before problems and complications arise later.
RELATED: 10 Signs Your Employees Are Having an Office Romance.
