It’s Valentine’s Day, and love is in the air – even at the office. I’m often asked what, if anything, supervisors should do if they discover their employees are dating, especially in the #metoo era. The good news is that supervisors don’t necessarily have to break up their own versions of Jim + Pam. However, they should keep the following tips in mind:
1. Ensure dating employees don’t report to each other. This goes without saying, but under no circumstances should one employee in a romantic relationship report to the other. Not only is this bad for departmental morale, but it can subject the company to liability if the relationship heads south and the subordinate employee suffers an adverse employment action (which can include anything from a bad performance review to termination). If possible, consider placing even non-supervisory couples in different departments to prevent complications down the road.
2. Treat male and female employees equally. If one employee must move to another position in order to comply with Tip #1, make sure there are objective, non-discriminatory reasons for choosing the person who will go.
3. Follow up on all complaints immediately. One minute everything is Love Actually, and the next it’s Fatal Attraction – particularly when a break-up is one-sided. Pay close attention to all complaints from and about previously amorous employees, including anonymous complaints, complaints from third parties, and complaints on social media. That being said…
4. If it doesn’t involve the workplace, don’t get involved. At some point, you may receive a complaint about one of your employee’s extracurricular activities from an angry spouse or partner who does not work at the company. Unless the complaint concerns an office romance, it is better to reserve judgment and decline to get involved in your employee’s personal affairs. However, if those affairs involve your employee’s co-workers, see Tips 1-3 above.
5. Make sure your harassment policies are up to date, easily accessible, and include a well-defined complaint procedure. Employees should know how to file a complaint if things go from “you complete me” to “you completely annoy me.” Harassment policies should include multiple reporting avenues and robust non-retaliation language.
I hope that you found these tips helpful and that the most romantic things you see at work today are chocolate kisses and candy conversation hearts. If you have other tips for handling workplace romances, I’d love to hear them. Feel free to add your thoughts in the comments below.