February 14 approaches and we’re filled with thoughts of love and romance … and lawsuits. Unfortunately, when the romance wears off, the retaliation and harassment charges begin.
Why Does Love Matter to Employers?
Joan Farrell, BLR Legal Editor, says it matters to employers because they are exposed to potential legal liability if a relationship goes sour. If coworkers engage in romantic relationships at work and they maintain professional conduct in the workplace and live happily ever after, there is no problem. But relationships don’t always work out that way. Sometimes a relationship falls apart, and the resulting tension makes it difficult for the employees to work together effectively or even to maintain professional conduct.
Sometimes after a relationship ends, one person will claim that the relationship was not consensual, and there will be allegations of sexual harassment. Sometimes one employee continues to pursue the relationship after it ends, and that kind of unwelcome behavior leads to sexual harassment claims. And that’s just when the relationship is between coworkers.
When Supervisors and Subordinates Are Involved
Relationships between a supervisor and subordinate create a whole different set of problems because of the imbalance of power. If things fall apart, there can be claims of sexual harassment or retaliation—for instance, if a former girlfriend gets a poor performance review or less desirable job assignments.
So an employer will be justifiably concerned about problems like conflicts of interest, claims of favoritism or unfair treatment by other subordinates, and allegations of sexual harassment or retaliation.
View the infographic on HR.BLR.
Infographic: Workplace romance is a potential nightmare for employers: By HR.BLR.com
The infographic also links to a video featuring BLR Legal Editor Joan Farrell, who explains these workplace hazards—and best practices for employers to safeguard against them—in further detail. The video can also be accessed directly here.
This is an issue that’s not going away, unfortunately. I don’t know if it still holds true in this age of online dating, but for a long stretch, stats indicated that the majority of people met their spouses at work.