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The love policeBy Amanda Kramer
It's always up to the company, but many do employ dating policies, also known as "no-fraternization" or "consensual relations" policies, said Kate Schieldt, owner of HR Partner LLC. In fact, they can do it in a number of ways and for various reasons. Schieldt said companies can consider implementing policies that come in different shapes and sizes - some generally discourage dating between managerial staff and non-management staff and some may discourage relationships between management and subordinates. Others allow romantic relationships but require the relationship to be reported, and then there are some that may prohibit fraternization between employees altogether. There are several critical reasons why employers may want to consider their own policy, she said. First, the policy could be an effort to reduce the company's exposure to liability for sexual harassment claims. "A company has a responsibility to free its workplace from sexual harassment," she said. "A no-fraternization policy should clearly communicate the company's position on work relationships and the expectations of the employees regarding this subject." Second, policies could help lay out expectations of managers and employees in the event a relationship develops. "If there is a manager-subordinate relationship, the company should take means to assure the relationship is consensual and nothing has been forced ... or there've been no promises or benefits resulting from the relationship," she said. And third, a policy may help to manage employee morale. "Companies want to ensure and enforce proper and professional behavior," she said. "If romantic relationships exist between a manager and a subordinate, there could be perceived favoritism or actual favoritism ... employees may feel certain employees are receiving better job assignments, work schedules ... due to intimate relationships with their manager. Whether this is justified or not, this can negatively affect the morale of employees." Whatever a company decides to do, it's important to get a good deal of discussion going about the issue, she said. "The human resource manager, along with company management, should discuss and consider the issues of having or not having a policy on work relationships," she advised. kramer.news@gmail.com madison.com ©2009 Capital Newspapers. All rights reserved. |
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