The prevalence of workplace romance
Drawing on relevant literature as well as insight from this module, discuss the policies and processes organisations need to put in place to manage the aftermath of dissolved workplace romance.
A recent survey by CareerBuilder.com which engaged 8,000 indicated that in every 10 employees, 4 have dated a person in the workplace. The survey further notes that 17% of them have dated at least twice (Pierce, Karl, and Brey, 2012 p.238). By definition, workplace romance occurs when two individuals working in the same organization develop or portray a relationship based on mutual attraction. Multiple studies have shown that intermingling in the work in the working environment may reduce productivity and morale at work (Schaefer and Tudor, 2011 p.97; Pierce, Karl, and Brey, 2012 p.239). Various theories have been submitted to explain the pervasiveness of this trend in the modern business world with one of them indicating that the number of single individuals in the workplace is growing day by day. Another theory explains that the increased workplace relationships can be attributed to convenience and proximity, not to mention the commonality and familiarity. Often are the times when employees engage in chit chats and gossips. Revisiting the survey by CareerBuilder, 72% of employees engaging in workplace relationships do not hide their escapades, compared to a relatively lower figure of 46% five years ago or thereabouts. Interoffice relationships, either among individuals in different departments or equals in the workplace, presents significant negative reactions and complications. On the same note, women are seemingly judged more than men, though both genders engage in the activity.
Pierce, Karl, and Brey (2012) conducted a study aimed at unraveling what impacts workplace romance procedures and policies have on job search intentions. 79 casino workers, along with 103 business students acted as job seekers. They read one out of the five varieties of vignette dictating about an organization’s consensual relationship agreement and policies relating to romance and concluded measures of control and dependent variables. The findings indicated that the nature of romance policy in an organization has an impact on an individual’s perception regarding policy fairness and the extent to which a company would be a worthy environment to work. Moreover, the nature of an organization’s consensual relationship agreement impacts an individual’s perception of the level of fairness in the organization. The results of the study also point out that the perceptions of individuals on the fairness of a certain relationship agreement and romance policy are positively related to the level they consider a workplace environment to be fun. The positive perceptions make the organization attractive, which, in its turn, contributes to positive job pursuit intentions.
The negative impact of workplace romance
In essence, every organization should put in place policies regarding workplace romance. In the absence of a clear-cut policy, workplace romance can cause legal consequences to the employer including charges of sexual harassment. Although some organizations have no policies on workplace dating, that puts them in a liable situation if, for instance, a supervisor provides a poor review to the former partner. For this reason, organization has found it needful to incorporate various workplace romance policies. One type of a policy that has been adopted is the no-dating policy. The policy generally prohibits romantic relationships between the supervisor and the juniors. Various thinkers note that these policies can be problematic since it is challenging to outline which behaviors will be banned. In the case of Ellis v. United Parcel Service, the 7th Circuit appellate court validated a no-dating policy that prohibited managers from engaging in intimate relationships with hourly workers, as long as it was enforced consistently (Boyd, 2010 p.326). In its perspective, however, the court maintained that the policy might have stretched beyond limits.
Another notable policy that has been consistently applied by organizations is the notification policy. This policy requires employees to notify the company whenever they engage in a romantic relationship. Essentially, this makes it easier for the company to protect its employees from sexual harassment charges if the relationship was not reported as consensual. If employees are to report to the company when they enter into a romantic relationship, however, they must also report to the company whenever they decide to terminate their relationship. This is the major reason why notification policies are somewhat regarded as intrusive. For privacy purposes, the manager who is being notified of the consensual relationship must try his/her best to keep it a secret. The third type of policy, also often adopted by organizations is the love contracts. This is basically a confirmation that is written to the management indicating that any sort of relationship among workers is nothing but consensual (Mainiero, and Jones, 2013 p.326). In some instances, the contract may include a written acknowledgment by the employees that they have taken note of the dating policy as drafted by the company as well as the expected behaviors such as acts of retaliating upon termination of the relationship.
The fourth type of policy applied by many organizations is the employee’s legal rights. Looking at the case of Lawrence v. Texas, for instance, the United States Supreme Court aborted a Texas regulation which prohibited consensual homosexual relationships. The court interpreted the law as one which was aimed at denying consenting adults the right to engage in romantic relationships. In other terms, it is wrong for employers to prohibit romance at the workplace as this is an outright violation of the employees’ right to privacy as stipulated in the constitution. As attorney Ray Gallo notes, forcing employees to make the hard choice of either engaging in a romantic relationship or quitting their jobs is nothing short of privacy invasion. Instead, organizations should make it a requirement for employees to report their relationship as this would not be considered an invasion of privacy (Karl and Sutton, 2012 p.430). To conclude, organizations need to follow a certain guideline when drafting their workplace romance policies. Minimization of potential legal liability, for example, is essential when formulating such policies. Multiple sources submit that one of the essential aspects to consider when writing a dating policy is to limit or prohibit relationships involving supervisors and their subordinates. Policies about workplace relationships should create a channel for identifying relationships that turned sour, and on the same note, employers must be vigilant about any scenario that could be termed as harassment. Policies should be consistently applied and also state distinctively how decisions will be formulated.
Policies for managing workplace romance
When the topic of workplace romance is mentioned, one of the main questions that lingers in many people’s mind is why people date at work. On this note, Quinn took the role of presenting a typology motive in 1997. Quinn’s work submits that people engage in romantic endeavors for love (for instance caring and authentic love), ego (for instance to some romance can be exciting), and job motives (for instance the need to get a career opportunity) (Jones, 2012 p.270). Given that, since 1977, there have been remarkable societal and workplace changes, there is need to revise the workplace romance typology.
There are various drivers of workplace romance. One of the factors is time. Given the fact that employees spend most of their time together, it is obvious that a relationship will emanate out of that. Most employees spend 12 hours or thereabouts together, and most of this time is spent learning about each other’s lives (Lickey, Berry, and Whelan-Berry, 2009 p.206). Also, it is more likely that if employees spend most of their time together, they will share intimate details. The second reason why workplace romance occurs is due to ease of opportunity. In other words, this means that the workplace environment offers a close proximity to fellow colleagues. Taking the example of journalism coworkers, for instance, they cover war stories together and thus they can be said to share the same memories. Moreover, some of the coworkers share common interests which makes workplace romance inevitable. The third reason for workplace romance is the similarity. Looking at this from a psychological perspective, people embark on romantic relationships due to the similarities they unravel when working together. As a consequence of the similarities, they become more comfortable in the working environment. Some thinkers assert that similarity plays a greater role in workplace romance more than even the first physical attraction (Cole, 2009 p.233). If individuals are attracted to each other or they share some sort of similarity, then it is quite understandable is they spark something romantic.
The fourth cause of workplace romance is what is commonly referred to as hook-ups. This means that people in the workplace environment may be driven into a romantic relationship by sexual desires. Though it starts with something that is more of physical with no emotions attached, it could materialize into something that will last forever. The many years of research have uncovered that people are likely to embark on workplace romance due to multiple motives (Ariani, Ebrahimi, and Saeedi, 2011p.99). Romantic relationships come with their fair share of complications, but workplace romances are associated with unique challenges considering that individuals spend the most time with their romantic partners/coworkers, and at the same time, struggle to control the coworkers’ perceptions. This means that people who are in a workplace romance or those who are planning to engage in one should familiarize themselves with the challenges and implications that come along with such relationships. Such implications should, and can be, controlled. Also, HR professionals should try their level best to equip their offices so that they are in a position to understand and manage romance in the workplace.
The importance of clear-cut policy guidelines
Pros
There are many pros and cons of workplace romance as outlined in this paper. To start with the pros, workplace romance helps people be good workers. Based on studies, people who are in love and working close to each other are said to be the most productive. Second, workplace romance provides people with motivation to start a new day. This is because the thought of meeting each other at the workplace is really exciting. Third, workplace romance enhances positivity everywhere. Institutions which have supportive policies about workplace relationships enhance positive vibes and the atmosphere is filled with love (Pierce, Broberg, McClure and Aguinis, 2014 p.66). Fourth, workplace relationships contribute to fewer distractions. This is because people tend to focus on work and not calling their partners wherever they are working (Lickey, Berry and Whelan-Berry, 2009 p.110). Finally, workplace romance facilitates mutual understanding in regard to professional pressures.
An example of an advantageous work romance involves a couple working at a molecular biology laboratory at New York. The wife was working as a technical support while the husband was an engineer. The couple was very supportive of each other and they kept their relationship secret. The couple even went for dates and they were completely available for each other. Clearly, the couple says that it was their remarkable moment and they really enjoyed working at the same place.
Cons
In analyzing the cons it is evident that workplace romance commingling the personal life of a people. It means that their life cannot be secret anymore (Amaral, 2006 p.10). Every individual in the organization wants to gossip about the relationship. Second, workplace romance makes people keep wondering what would happen if it ends. People who romance in the office find it pleasing to see their partners every day (Aguinis and Pierce, 2008 p.1400. However, if the relationship ends it becomes a nightmare to see your partner every day. This feeling makes a person not to want to report to work. Workplace romance may affect promotions at work (Riach and Wilson, 2007 p.80). In case one partner is promoted they have to exercise professional responsibilities which may require the two to remain casual. It may create difficult time between the two in case there is a promotion. Fourth, workplace romance may cause a situation where work cannot be evaded in case there is a fight between the partners (Biggs, Matthewman and Fultz, 2012 p.273). It is obvious that personal fights will be carried at the workplace and creates an uncomfortable environment. Finally, workplace romance can be viewed in the perspective of too much of something is poison (Gautier, 2017 p.8). To explain further, spending much time with a partner make result in a boring relationship. The excitement of partners when they meet each other at the workplace may end with time.
Motives for workplace romance
An example of a disadvantageous workplace romance is a story given by Olivia. Olivia used to work with her boyfriend at Nuclear Power Company. However, Olivia says it was quite uncomfortable for them to work at the same place when they the relationship ended. Olivia says they had to work avoiding eye contact and communicating with each other even when they had an important matter to address.
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Ariani, M.G., Ebrahimi, S.S. and Saeedi, A., 2011. Managing workplace romance; a headache for human resource leaders. International Proceedings of Economics Development and Research, 19, pp.99-103.
Biggs, D., Matthewman, L. and Fultz, C., 2012. Romantic relationships in organizational settings: Attitudes on workplace romance in the UK and USA. Gender in Management: An International Journal, 27(4), pp.271-285.
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Cole, N., 2009. Workplace romance: A justice analysis. Journal of Business and Psychology, 24(4), p.363.
Gautier, C., 2017. Managing romance in the workplace. Journal of Employee Assistance, 1, pp.7-9.
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Karl, K.A. and Sutton, C.L., 2012. An examination of the perceived fairness of workplace romance policies. Journal of Business and Psychology, 14(3), pp.429-442.
Lickey, N.C., Berry, G.R. and Whelan-Berry, K.S., 2009. Responding to workplace romance: a proactive and pragmatic approach. The Journal of Business, 8(1), pp.100-119.
Lickey, N.C., Berry, G.R. and Whelan-Berry, K.S., 2009. Responding to workplace romance: a proactive and pragmatic approach. The Journal of Business, 8(1), pp.100-119.
Mainiero, L.A. and Jones, K.J., 2013. Workplace romance 2.0: Developing a communication ethics model to address potential sexual harassment from inappropriate social media contacts between coworkers. Journal of business ethics, 114(2), pp.367-379.
Pierce, C.A., Broberg, B.J., McClure, J.R., and Aguinis, H., 2014. Responding to sexual harassment complaints: Effects of a dissolved workplace romance on decision-making standards. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 95(1), pp.66-82.
Pierce, C.A., Karl, K.A. and Brey, E.T., 2012. Role of workplace romance policies and procedures on job pursuit intentions. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 27(3), pp.237-263.
Riach, K. and Wilson, F., 2007. Don’t screw the crew: Exploring the rules of engagement in organizational romance. British Journal of Management, 18(1), pp.79-92.
Schaefer, C.M., and Tudor, T.R., 2011. Managing workplace romances. SAM Advanced Management Journal, 66(3), p.4.
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