People who get involved in office romances think that something unique has happened to them, writes Marilyn Moats Kennedy in Office Politics: Seizing Power, Wielding Clout. What they dont get is that they were selected by the same management to work in the same culture and political environment. Of course they get along, theyre practically clones!
Kennedy says whats more surprising is that more people dont get involved.
But what action will your boss take when its discovered two employees are dating? Some will look the other way, ignoring the romantic bond. Others will institute no-dating policieseven though people will date anyway and just not tell anyone, says Connie Cornell, an attorney in the Austin, Texas office of Jenkens & Gilchrist law firm.
More recently, employers are taking a different approach, addressing office romance head on. They realize the risk for employer liability associated with workplace romancesspecifically between a supervisor and subordinateand they want to be prepared.
Employers can face a serious problem if a couple meets, dates and the relationship doesnt end on a good note, Cornell explains. For example, Sara tells Bill its over. Bill sends Sara an apology note along with a silk gown from Victorias Secret. If Sara reports to Bill, and if Bills affections are no longer welcomed, Bills conduct could be considered sexual harassment. And if Bill threatens Saras job [security], thats retaliation. With both possibilities, the courts will hold the employer liable.
Instead of instituting a no-dating policy, employers are beginning to draft consensual relationship agreements, often called kiss and tell policies, which mainly deal with supervisor/subordinate romantic involvements. Such policies acknowledge that workplace romance will occur, says Christine Amalfe, attorney with Gibbons, Del Deo, Dolan, Griffinger & Vecchione. These policies specifically state that if a supervisor and subordinate are indeed having a romantic relationship, it is the responsibility of the senior person to disclose the relationship to human resources or be in violation of the policy. Through the policy, the employer typically reserves the right to transfer one or both of the individuals if it turns out that they are in the same chain of command, she explains.
The New Jersey Attorney Generals office instituted a similar policy requiring supervisors to promptly inform their immediate bosses of any intimate relationship, so the department can consider reassigning one of the participants. The policy was created after the state office was required to pay $350,000 in damages to a former deputy attorney general who alleged sexual harassment after being involved in a romantic relationship with a supervisor.
The implementation of a kiss and tell policy will not insulate companies from lawsuits, explains Amalfe. But it will place them in a more defensible position.
Beyond protecting themselves from sexual harassment lawsuits, there are several other reasons why employers are taking the leap to implement kiss and tell policies. These include protection against claims of retaliation once the relationship ends, preventing a decrease in employee morale and productivity and prevention of unprofessional behavior by employees.
But Is This Legal?
Right now youre probably thinking that kiss and tell is an invasion of privacy. But, says Cornell, employers dont have a choice in asking employees about their private lives. Employers dont have to get real personal; they just need to ensure that the couple understands the employers situation.
So what can you expect if you find yourself in such a situation? What if you are Bill or Sue in the above hypothetical, yet very real, example? Heres how an employer might communicate the companys position regarding office romances:
- Have a meeting with the couple to explain the companys anti-harassment policy.
- Ensure that each individual does not perceive a violation with the anti-harassment policy.
- Before the meeting adjourns, ask the two individuals to
confirmeither by signing a written consensual relationship
agreement or through a verbal conversation, which is then
filedthat:
It might seem strange to have to go through all of this hassle for what could turn out to be a meaningless relationship, but to many employers, it would seem strange not to.