She has a B. Why Policies are Necessary In an era when sexual harassment is a real concern for organizations, the notion of two employees dating each other does have potential for some tricky policy questions. Common Policy Features While dating is a concern to human resources departments, few companies have actually instituted policies regarding romantic relationships between employees.
Company Policies on Dating in the Workplace
Avoiding Distractions While most companies that prohibit dating among co-workers focus on the supervisor—subordinate relationship, some prohibit dating for other reasons. Managing Employee Romantic Relationships Sometimes, avoiding a workplace romance may seem all but impossible.
- Relationships at Work | WorkSmart: The career coach that works for everyone!
- dating no pressure?
- why are so many different isotopes used in radiometric dating?
Video of the Day. Dating In the Workplace: About the Author An adjunct instructor at Central Maine Community College, Kristen Hamlin is also a freelance writer on topics including lifestyle, education, and business.
Policies About Workplace Dating
What Does Fraternizing in the Workplace Mean? More Articles You'll Love.
- dating hampshire uk?
- fast impressions speed dating voucher?
- No-Dating Policies.
This can be especially true in high-growth companies that demand long work hours and tend to hire more single employees. When your routine is work-sleep-work, going out to date does not seem like a real option for many. According to the CareerBuilder survey, some industries are more prone to inter-office dating than others.
Hospitality, Financial Services, Transportation and Utilities, Information Technology, and Health Services all topped the list as having higher than average office dating. As a business owner, you might ask: The legal issue is what I like to call the "amplification" of potential liability that always exists around the employer-employee relationship. There will foreseeably be claims of favoritism, or even discrimination or harassment. When a workplace romance sours, it can expose the company to increased liability, since the connection between alleged actors is easier to establish--essentially giving the plaintiff some good ammunition for his or her case.
Relationships between supervisors and subordinates create even more potential problems.
In a better scenario, coworkers would find it easier to claim that an employee received preferential treatment from a supervisor he or she is dating. In a poorer scenario, the relationship would end badly, one of the employees could claim that the relationship was non-consensual, or that sexual harassment existed.
An employee could even make a case for unlawful retaliation if he or she receives a poor performance review from a former lover or if a co-worker receives a better evaluation from his or her boss.
Why Policies are Necessary
There are a few different ways to manage this liability. When it comes to workplace dating policies, here are a few basic options:. Generally, policies cover not only employees, but also contractors, vendors, suppliers, manufacturers, and the like. Essentially, any relationship between two people that could have a negative effect on the company if things sour, or if one party is able to improperly influence the other would fall under the policy. One last generally acceptable rule: Even if it does not violate a written policy, your boss the CEO or the board might not care, and view it as a lack of senior management acumen.
I tend to sound like a broken record when it comes to company policies.
Policies About Workplace Dating | www.stavebninypovina.com
When writing a workplace dating policy, it is important to reduce your potential legal liability. Cohen suggests that banning or limiting dating between supervisors and subordinates is the most important aspect of a dating policy. Maria Stewart, a partner at Austin law firm Brown McCarroll LLP, suggests in the Austin Business Journal that policies on dating should include a way to report relationships that have turned hostile, and that employers must be on guard against any circumstances that could amount to harassment.
She argues that any policy must be applied consistently and should set out clearly how decisions will be made. Since graduating with a degree in biology, Lisa Magloff has worked in many countries. Accordingly, she specializes in writing about science and travel and has written for publications as diverse as the "Snowmass Sun" and "Caterer Middle East. Skip to main content. No-Dating Policies No-dating policies generally ban dating between a supervisor and their subordinate.
Common Policy Features
Notification Policy Another option is to require employees to report whenever they enter into a consensual relationship. Love Contracts This is a written confirmation to management that any relationship taking place between employees is consensual. Employee's Legal Rights The U.
Policy Guidelines When writing a workplace dating policy, it is important to reduce your potential legal liability. References 4 Austin Business Journal: Set tone from the top on workplace dating HRhero.