When Cupid Strikes: How to Deal with Workplace Romance

03/05/07

In the workplace, romance among workers can cause some sticky HR problems. It's important to have a sound company policy that addresses the problems posed by fraternization, conflicts of interest, and inappropriate displays of affection.
br> Many workers spend more time with their colleagues than they do at home with their families. In such an environment, workers are bound to form close personal bonds, and some of those bonds become romantic.

A 1998 survey from the Society for Human Resource Management found that more than one in four office romances cause complaints of favoritism, and 24% led to sexual harassment allegations. The survey also found that 24% resulted in decreased productivity among the employees involved in the relationship.

To deal effectively with the issues raised by workplace romances, your company should have a written policy that clearly explains your approach to the following issues:

Fraternization – Even in the most casual or relaxed environments, fraternization between supervisors and their direct reports should be forbidden. Problems might easily arise when a senior person in the relationship controls the job security, employee evaluations or promotion opportunities of a junior employee. Romances may be less problematic when they are between peers, or between people who work in separate departments. Even then, the temptation to let relationship issues pour over into the work environment may be strong, and even in relatively casual environments managers should be vigilant to ensure that the professional atmosphere of the workplace is not compromised.

Conflicts of interest – Just as managers should not allow themselves to become romantically involved with subordinates, it's also important for managers to maintain a professional distance with other individuals, too. For example, if a procurement specialist becomes romantically involved with a vendor or contractor who does business with the company, their relationship may cloud the judgment of one or both individuals.

Sound policy should discourage even the appearance of a conflict of interest. Although no such conflict may exist in reality, even the appearance of conflict can undermine the credibility of management and give rise to troublesome allegations of favoritism.

Public displays of affection – Company policy should be clearly spelled out in the employee handbook as it pertains to professional conduct during working hours. Displays of affection – kissing, hugging, handholding, etc. – can be distracting for other workers and detract from the professional atmosphere and image of the company.

Even with a sound policy in place, it's important for the leadership of any organization to emphasize, implement and enforce the policy consistently across the company. Leaders should incorporate a plan to train managers on the policy, as well as tactful ways to confront workplace romances that may cause inappropriate behavior.

To help you and your organization create and enforce an effective harassment policy, G.Neil has developed an educational kit titled Harassment Prevention and Investigation Bundle.