2.🔊 That might not be the case, according to a survey conducted by Vault.com, which found 58 percent of employees surveyed have engaged in office romances. And as workers get older, the likelihood of participating in such a workplace relationship increases: 72 percent of workers age 50 and older reported having at least one romantic workplace relationship during their career.

3.🔊 Given how common office romances are, it’s important to have a clearly established company policy that is communicated to employees explicitly. When 40 percent of office romances became serious, long-term relationships or even marriages, they have the potential to impact the work of not just the people in the relationship but also their co-workers. Workplace relationships don’t have to be a negative for productivity or workplace culture, but they do have to be managed properly to avoid problems.

The risks associated with workplace romances

4.🔊 Office romances carry all the potential risks and rewards of typical relationships, except with an added layer of risk. Closely blending the professional and personal in such an intense way could be a recipe for disaster. In addition to creating an atmosphere often rife with gossip and rumors, which disrupt a professional culture. While these conflicts stem from a personal relationship, they can impact a business as well, putting office romances squarely in the scope of management’s purview.

5.🔊 “Workplace romances can adversely affect employee morale and productivity by distracting the romantic partners and their co-workers,” said Dana Chang Dikas, an attorney with labor and employment law firm Fisher Phillips. “They also may lead to conflict and claims of disparate treatment or sexual harassment.”

6.🔊 In most cases, managers and employers can mitigate the potential negatives of workplace relationships with a well-established set of policies that are clearly communicated to employees. For employers, managing office romances is all about the reduction of potential harm, and there are several steps they can take toward that end.

7.🔊 “The negatives can be managed by employers addressing workplace relationships head-on,” Dikas said. “Blanket ‘no fraternizing‘ policies don’t work. Employers must communicate their conduct and behavioral expectations to employees and take proactive steps to avoid potential liability.”

Establishing a workplace relationship policy

8.🔊 The first step toward dealing with potential office romances is establishing a set of policies and procedures. Having a plan in place and a process hammered out for the romantic partners to follow when their office romance begins can help prepare management for any potential issues and cover your business’s bases to the greatest extent possible.

9.🔊 “Workplace relationship policies should place requirements on employees to adhere to the company’s anti-harassment policy and its reporting mandates,” Dikas said. “Policies also can (and in most cases should) prohibit relationships between supervisors and subordinates, which can be breeding grounds for claims of sexual harassment or favoritism, divulgence of confidential company information, gossip and other workplace disruptions.”

10.🔊 These are some common policies regarding workplace relationships:

• Mandatory disclosure of the relationship to the HR department
• A ban on relationships between superiors and subordinates
• The signing of “love contract” agreements and acknowledgment of company anti-sexual harassment policies
• A ban on public displays of affection within the workplace

Discussion

1.🔊 What is your companies workplace relationship policy? Do you know anybody who met their spouse / partner whilst at work? 

2.🔊 What do you think are the pros and cons of having a romantic relationship at work? How are workplace relationships portrayed in TV shows / dramas / movies?

3.🔊 If you were responsible for creating a workplace relationship policy for a company what would be the 3 most important points?

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