{"id":1773,"date":"2020-02-14T16:20:42","date_gmt":"2020-02-14T16:20:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hrteam.ie\/?p=1773"},"modified":"2022-09-30T11:12:15","modified_gmt":"2022-09-30T10:12:15","slug":"workplace-relationships-advice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hrteamservices.com\/en\/workplace-relationships-advice\/","title":{"rendered":"Should you ban workplace relationships?"},"content":{"rendered":"

To mark Valentine\u2019s Day, we take a look at the taboo topic of workplace relationships and how employers navigate the legalities of imposing restrictions on them.<\/p>\n

A recent survey revealed an incredible 58% of employees have engaged in a romantic relationship with a colleague. This should be a wake-up call for employers to manage workplace attraction and ensure an acceptable policy is in place.<\/p>\n

\u201cA policy on workplace relationships which is clearly communicated to staff could save an employer a lot of stress and financial risk in the long run\u201d says HR Team Director, Breda Cullen.<\/p>\n

Almost half (41%) of employees did not know their company\u2019s policy regarding office romance.<\/p>\n

Many companies have strict policies against workplace relationships. For example, McDonald’s has adopted a zero-tolerance relationship policy regarding the romance between senior management and employees. The company\u2019s CEO, Steve Easterbrook, was previously dismissed for having a consensual relationship with an employee. A statement by McDonald’s said that Mr Easterbrook had \u201cviolated company policy\u201d and \u201cshown poor judgement\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"Workplace<\/p>\n

Why restrict a workplace relationship? <\/strong><\/h3>\n

Potential litigation issues or conflicts of interest if a relationship turns sour are becoming an increasing risk for companies in light of the \u2018Me Too\u2019 movement.<\/p>\n

Other factors to consider about romantic relationships between employees may be that staff are distracted \u2013 they may have more interest in each other than their work. For this reason, productivity can be affected.<\/p>\n

Workplace relationships could also prompt concerns over accusations of favouritism to maintaining a professional and comfortable environment and avoiding possible disruption to that – especially in the event of a breakup.<\/p>\n

However, employees can perceive restrictions as an invasion of privacy. Completely banning workplace relationships may also encourage employees to be dishonest and conceal the relationship.<\/p>\n

Employers must also be careful of discrimination claims, in particular, where same sex individuals are involved.<\/p>\n

Do you have an employment law question?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Team HR can help business start-ups, SMEs and large multinational organisations. Call to speak to us today on any aspect of employment law or strategic human resource services.<\/p>\n

Tel from NI: 028 71 271 882 or from ROI: 01 695 0749. Alternatively, contact us via email: hello@hrteamgroup.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

To mark Valentine\u2019s Day, we take a look at the […]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":5607,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1773","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all","category-performance-management"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHow To Manage Workplace Relationships | HR Team NI & UK<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Are you unsure how to manage workplace relationships? 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