Relationships are on everyone’s mind the week of Valentine’s Day and they often bring a host of challenges and liability for employees and businesses alike. Some of these issues can include claims of harassment, retaliation, disruptions in workflow and productivity, allegations of favoritism, and more. As a best practice, we recommend that businesses take a clear and open stance on what is or is not permitted related to workplace relationships. If you’re curious about what should be covered in a workplace relationships policy and how strict it should be, we’ve broken down the basic things you need to think about:
Determine the impact workplace relationships can have and use that information to help guide you in writing a policy that supports the best interests of your business. Even what you call your policy can vary depending on the stance you’re going to take. Names for policies that address relationships can be very literal like “Workplace Relationship Policy” or they can be part of a larger conversation in bigger and broader policies that cover “Professional Conduct & Discourse” or “Fraternization.” Regardless of the way you decide to cover workplace relationships, your policy language should be clear on what kind of relationships are allowed and what steps are required if one occurs, like disclosing it to HR or to a particular leader at your company.
Be savvy to the difference in risk that exists with peer relationships, and also with manager and subordinate relationships where the level of risk is a lot higher. Businesses typically have stricter rules pertaining to manager/subordinate relationships because of the power dynamic that factors in to these. Claims of quid pro quo” harassment and favoritism skyrocket in these kinds of workplace relationships. Most policies require such relationships to be reported to HR or company leadership, and can include consequences like attempts to reassign employees to other roles, assignments, accounts, or teams when possible in order to mitigate this risk while also allowing both parties to remain employed by the company. It’s also advisable to have language that addresses who bears the responsibility of determining who stays with the company if such a situation occurs.
Enforce workplace relationship policies fairly and consistently across all levels in your organization. Policy language should be clear. If you won’t allow or you’re unable to accommodate any kind of romantic workplace relationships, then it’s important that this is documented and communicated to employees, along with the consequences of violating the policy. Examples can include language like, “Violation of this policy will lead to immediate termination for both parties” or “Violation of this policy may lead to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment for both parties.”
Don’t forget to think outside of the box when it comes to other relationship situations that may occur. This can include the stance you will take on employee relationships with clients, customers, guests, donors, or vendors. Even familial relationships, like hiring relatives, can present some of the same challenges and can be covered in the same policy using similar language.
Ask us your HR questions via the online chat tool in the lower left corner of your screen. We love helping companies thrive and we love to share what we know.
