Company Romances: Allowed or Banned?

On February 14th, love will be in the air as couples around the U.S. celebrate Valentine’s Day. With this in mind, now is the perfect time to evaluate your club’s in-office dating policies.

Cassie Whitlock, the director of human resources for BambooHR, recently shared the advice she shares with organizations surrounding this topic.

Cassie Whitlock

We don’t think these policies should be about allowing or prohibiting, but recognizing the importance of eliminating and minimizing the potential for issues that can distract your organization. We would suggest organizations consider:

Conflict of interest: Do relationships outside of work affect work decisions? How do you monitor and communicate to help everyone in the organization understand that pay, promotion, projects and other work opportunities are based on valid business needs and measurements?

Favoritism: Another translation of the above, but you also venture into the gray area of quid pro quo and potential legal issues.

Reporting structures and transfers: Have you outlined company policy to address if two employees in a relationship (dating, married or anything in between) can work in the same department, and what happens if a direct reporting relationship exists? Where is the line drawn between privacy and what an employee does outside of work when outside relationships enter the work realm?

Take these tips into consideration no matter how big or small your organization.