Workplace romances are older than your. While it worked out for Marie and Pierre Curie and dating Obamas, they are your exceptions. What about employees and managers just becoming friends getting together after work and confiding in each other?
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Are all of these friendships legal problems? Thanks to Title VII, they can be. While blatant sexual harassment is easily identifiable, relationships are more challenging. Once you have knowledge manager an office romance, it should be promptly addressed.
A One-Sided Friendship
A classic example. The supervisor dates a person who reports to them. Wedding bells are ringing. And even trickier is the fact that best practices dictate that the boss, not the subordinate, should be transferred to avoid any appearance of impropriety.
Angry Over an Ashtray
Have a policy that encourages all employees involved in a romantic relationship, especially one that involves a superior, to meet with HR and map out their immediate work future. Draft a Memorandum of Understanding of what the new normal will be. Any new assignments should be included along with a recitation of your anti-harassment policy. What about a breakup? Continue to keep the boss dating subordinate apart. A final note, companies need to train managers on the pitfalls of extracurricular fraternization.
How to Approach an Office Romance (and How Not To)
This is a similar danger zone. The employee tells the manager their spouse is seriously ill, causing the employee to drink all the time. All wanna hookup would be well-advised to keep non-work-related conversations confined to safe topics like the weather and local high school sports.
And hence, if our mythical manager had followed these rules, they might not have met their true love, but the company might not be getting sued. February 18, Associated People: Madalene A.