SHRM HR Magazine - February 2018

HR SOLUTIONS: ASK A SHRM HR KNOWLEDGE ADVISOR
SHOULD EMPLOYERS ESTABLISH A POLICY ON ROMANTIC
RELATIONSHIPS IN THE OFFICE? 

It’s February, and love is in the air—along with a continuing stream of high-profle sexual harassment cases. To ensure that the two never get mixed up, the time is right to address ofce romance.

Fifty-seven percent of individuals responding to Vault’s 2017 Ofce Romance Survey admitted to having had a romantic relationship at work.

So instead of ignoring when cupid strikes, be transparent and proactive by drafting clear guidelines.

According to a SHRM survey on ofce romance, at least 42 percent of employers have regulations in place addressing workplace romance. Why wouldn’t an employer have such a policy? In some cases, it’s because leaders don’t want to be in the business of policing romantic relationships. Others rely on their organization’s sexual harassment policy to handle any problems that crop up.

Whatever the case, it’s to your advantage to have a dating policy.

For one thing, it eases anxiety among employees and management alike. Supervisors feel better because they know what to do if a romance springs up on their team, while employees understand what is expected of them if they decide to board the love train. Such policies can also demonstrate an employer’s good-faith efort to comply with sexual harassment laws.

And they may help to head of oth-
er employees’ complaints. After all,
who wants to watch Ken and Barbie
make out in the lunchroom? Lastly,
well-thought-out policies may deter
employees from lying about a matter
of the heart. Let’s face it: Hiding a ro-
mantic relationship can be stressful.

Here are a few points to consider
when developing a dating policy:
z z Decide whether to include any
restrictions, such as prohibiting
relationships between employees
and direct reports or between
colleagues in the same depart-
ment. Check to see if any lifestyle
discrimination laws apply in your
state, and review marital status
protections under anti-discrimina-
tion statutes.
z z List any requirements for employ-
ees to report their workplace rela-
tionships to a supervisor or human
resources representative.
z z Weigh whether to ask the two par-
ties to sign a consensual relation-
ship agreement. Among other
things, such contracts
would acknowledge that
the social relationship
between two people
does not violate
your company’s
sexual harass-
ment policy and
that entering
into the social
relationship has
not been made
a condition or
term of employ-
ment.
z z Spell out consequences
of nonadherence, such
as discipline up to and
including termination.
z z Communicate conduct
expectations, such as
discouraging couples
from engaging in public
displays of afection and asking
them to maintain the confdential-
ity of company information.
z z Highlight potential problems that
can stem from workplace relation-
ships, such as sexual harassment,
and review how to report com-
plaints.
z z Include a section in which the
employee acknowledges reviewing
the policy.

You can tweak your guidelines to meet your business’s needs. And, of course, ask legal counsel to review your policy—and then let cupid’s arrows fall where they may.