In the spirit of Valentine’s day today, I wanted to talk workplace romances 🥰
From exchanging coy glances across the meeting room, hands brushing past each other at the printer or adding a cheeky wink to sign off an email, the workplace can be a breeding ground for love and desire 💕
We spend so much time at work amongst colleagues, so it is inevitable that romances may blossom
Hey, I’ve done it, I dated a colleague for around 2 years (long before I worked in HR) 🙈
Some frown upon it and view it as a HR disaster waiting to happen, some workplace policies ban it entirely.
My view – well, I’m not one to stand in the way of true love, but I know it can be problematic.
Here are my top tips for HR to handle office romance;
❤️ Set clear expectations and policies on the matter
❤️ Define what is appropriate and inappropriate behaviour
❤️Ensure you have safe processes in place for reporting harassment
❤️Consider power dynamics (ie. manager dating subordinate)
❤️Encourage disclosure and openness if relationships do form
❤️Set expectations of behaviour at social events
❤️Train managers on how to deal with potentially sensitive situations
❤️Review any potential conflicts of interest or privacy concerns
❤️Take quick action on any complaints or concerns raised to you
What is your view on workplace romance? Or do you have a juicy story to share?
Funnily enough, we have three husband and wife duos that work for us! We’ve never come across any issues as they work in different teams, but it’s definitely important to have guidelines in place to be able to address any situations if they do arise
Haha wow, that is a lot! At least married couples are a little easier to manage (usually!) – its dealing with the dating or drunken encounters that really causes headaches haha.
Do you have specific guidelines on this topic in your business?