Did you know that more than half of employees have had a personal relationship or office romance with a work colleague?
Most employees often don’t see an office romance as an issue, however office romances can create difficulties and they can impact on the workplace. Although this may happen, employers should not interfere into the personal lives of their employees. So, what are you supposed to do?
Firstly, policies should be put into place to ensure that these relationships do not have an impact on the workplace. These policies may include basis things such as prohibiting intimate behaviour whilst in the workplace e.g. holding hands, kissing or other close contact.
You may want to include that if employees do begin relationships with one another, they declare it in confidence to a senior. In cases where a relationship starts between a manager/senior and one of their staff, a policy may need to be put into place, so that a superior is made aware of any changes within that relationship e.g. marriage or a split. This is so that, that member of staff is not treated differently, due to the relationship they have with their manager e.g. being treated unfairly or favouritism.
Effective grievance and harassment policies should be in place, to ensure that even if a relationship comes to an end, if one of employees raises a grievance or harassment allegation, it will be taken seriously and promptly.
Dismissal is a route which some employers may look towards if to; however this can cause claims for unfair dismissal in regards to sexual discrimination. In addition, you could face claims of breach of the Human Rights Act 1998 which states that people have the right to respect for private and family life.
If you dismiss an employee or both employees as they have become involved in a relationship, this will likely to become an unfair dismissal case. Therefore this should be a last resort and only used if there is evidence that the relationship has had a serious impact on the business e.g. favouritism.
There are many options available for you to be able to manage workplace romance, as long as you have the right policies in place from the start.
If you would like more support and guidance on this issue or any other HR issue, contact Joy or Phillipa today on 01909 512 120 or email phillipa@loftusstowe.com