Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and love is in the air – and sometimes, in the workplace. Romances in the office are nothing new. Due to many people spending the vast majority of their time with their colleagues, it’s natural for relationships to develop from time to time. But should businesses have a policy on workplace relationships?
Having clear guidance on workplace relationships in place does not mean that you are unromantic – it’s about protecting employees and the business. Without guidelines, workplace romances can sometimes lead to conflicts of interest, favouritism concerns, and even legal risks.
A workplace romance policy can be helpful to:
- Avoid conflicts of interest:
If one partner has managerial authority over the other, it can lead to perceived or actual bias in decisions like promotions, pay increases and performance reviews. A policy should detail the steps to be taken in this situation, which could be reassigning reporting lines, enutral person involved in pay and performance reviews.
- Maintaining Professionalism:
Team dynamics can be affected by public displays of affection and personal conflicts spilling into work. The policy should reinforce that professional workplace behaviour is required at all times irrespective of a personal relationship.
- Preventing Legal and HR Issues:
Should the relationship end badly, it could lead to claims related to harassment, favouritism or retaliation. The policy should reiterate the need for respectful behaviour in the workplace and inform employees where to go if support is needed.
- Protecting the Business Culture:
For a workplace culture to be strong, it needs to be built on trust, fairness and inclusivity. The policy should provide guidelines to ensure workplace relations are reported (and who to), don’t impact morale and cause others to feel uncomfortable.
If you decide to implement a policy, it should be fair, clear, practical and relevant to your organisation. After all the requirements may be different between an office and manufacturing environment etc. Key elements to include:
- Disclosure Requirements – this will help to avoid conflicts of interest.
- Manager-Employee Relationships – Consider rules around relationships in this situation, such as the requirement to reassign duties where necessary.
- Professional Conduct: Clarify expectations that everyone must maintain professional behaviour at work.
- Confidentiality and Harassment Policies: Be clear that any complaints which have arisen from workplace relationships will be handled seriously and confidentially.
Just remember, a workplace romance policy isn’t about banning romantic relationships between colleagues (although some may decide to do so) – it’s about protecting the business and employees from any negative impact. If you don’t have one in place, now is the perfect time to consider it. Valentine’s Day is fast approaching, so it is an opportunity to remind employees of professional boundaries while fostering a positive and respectful workplace.
If you decide not to introduce a policy, just ensure that you are consistent in your approach and rules for individuals, irrespective of gender, across the business when faced with a workplace relationship.
If by reading this you think it would be beneficial to your business and employees to have a workplace romance policy in place, please do contact us at View HR.
