How should HR deal with office romances?
Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and once again HR must consider the challenges of office romances. Is the age old saying ‘never mix business with pleasure’ indicate that often one or the other suffers as a result. The question is, should employers outlaw or ignore relationships when love blooms at work?
Employers should also have concerns with distractions, tensions and even jealousy arising from a workplace romance giving the potential to affect employees’ performance and could lead to claims of sexual harassment and discrimination.
Advice to Employers
It seems draconian in modern times to ban relationships between colleagues entirely – and it would certainly be near impossible to manage. A better solution is for the organisation to have some control over workplace liaisons.
As with any policy, guidelines on office romances should be clear, fair, made known to employees and followed consistently. The organisation should determine what it considers to be unacceptable behaviour or misconduct in the workplace. Suggestions include;
• inappropriate physical contact;
• inappropriate use of language; or
• personal use of company communications systems.
Policies might include preventing those in a relationship working closely together and from interviewing, managing or promoting each other. Such rules might be incorporated into relevant existing policies, such as those recognising equal opportunities or dignity at work. Employers might feel that workplace romances warrant their own consideration in certain environments.
As with most policies, they should be thought of as guidance or a code of conduct so that any breach would be seen as misconduct rather than a breach of contract.
Equal opportunities policies should make it specific that everyone will be treated fairly and on merit, limiting the opportunity for favouritism or victimisation occurring during romantic relationships.
Organisations may include a clause in senior employees’ employment contracts prohibiting relationships with subordinate employees within their own teams, departments or locations.
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