Love, laughter and tears...

​As we’ve survived pancake day and are now all about love we wanted to look at romance in the workplace… well we’ve decided this would cover:

• True love
• A peck in the stationery cupboard
• Fling near the filing cabinets

 
Any of these can bring their own challenges to the working environment as all HR professionals will have experienced when it comes to untangled the “web of wooing”.

The majority of individuals spend most of their time within a working environment so its only natural that this can be a breeding ground for romance however this does come with a few words of warning for the wise.  The words not only fall for those in the relationship but also leaders / business owners! 

reporting lines & power dynamics 

Consider the hierarchy of the relationship, are those in the relationship on the same level or reporting into each other.  Best practice would be to separate those in the relationship so that leadership, expectations and fairness remain consistent for all employees. 
 
Imagine either working for your partner on a good day or after a full on barny on the way to work!  Also what about when one of the people in the relationship ask for ‘favours’ to leave early –  do other team members get the same treatment? How does this impact the rest of the team in terms of their engagement, productivity and willingness to go the extra mile?
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Brand

​If the relationship is new, whether its long term or short – what will the impact be to their personal brand?   Will colleagues be positive, will they gossip, will the professional relationships change?
 
It is likely that there will be an impact and as a leader or business owner, how will you address that?  
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confidentiality

​Is there a conflict when it comes to confidentiality and this is something that I have witnessed again and again when having to protect the data and decisions within the business.  Within any relationship there may be that time when ‘pillow talk’ focusses on work / their roles etc what is the risk that confidential information maybe shared during that time?  Do you need to have a conversation with both individuals to remind them of their obligations to their employer?  
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what happens if it goes wrong?

​Whilst no one wants to consider this, what will be the impact to their roles / employment should it go wrong?  It could be that the impact is:

• A resignation
• Request to move to a different site 
• A grievance  - if there is a relationship breakdown especially if there are hierarchical reporting lines in place 
• An atmosphere

 
Consider how you will navigate the business or team through these times, as it can really impact the business.   Of course you have the added challenge that if it does go wrong there will be an impact to the team dynamics as well as gossip / personal brand and so on! 

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what can you do?

TO SUPPORT YOURSELF? YOUR TEAM? YOUR BUSINESS? 
 

• Have clear guidelines in place as to relationships within the workplace.  It sounds ‘over the top’ I know but having those in place will make the process far easier should it happen. 
• Ensure that reporting lines are adapted if possible so there isn’t a risk of confidentiality being broken or hierarchy favouritism
• Whilst setting clear expectations make sure you steer away from just ‘pushing it under the carpet’.  It is a fine balance of knowing about relationships and protecting the business but keep an open mind and clear communication with the parties.  That way they are more than likely to let you know should something change in their status.

 
In conclusion there is often a delicate balance between the workplace and relationships however by making sure you have the right awareness, processes and communication in place it can really take the ‘heat’ out of the moment!
 
Also working with your HR partner can really help you when navigating the web of wooing and the chances are we will have dealt with something similar in the past so if you need us we are here.  Feel free to book a free 30 minute consultation with us through emailing [email protected]