Office Romance

minelli · October 2008

We have two employees in our office that are obviously seeing each. Long lunch hours, hanging around each others space, etc. One is married and the other is not. It is slightly starting to affect one person's work, but not to the degree of having to talk to him yet. We do not have any policy of office romances, nor do we want to. My concern is the affect it is going to have on the office/individuals if this all blows up. How do I address this with the individuals. I would rather they be more discreet, but can I say that?

hr410 · October 2008

Is one of them a supervisor? Do you have a policy on fraternization between supervisors and subordinates? Have you considered what will happen WHEN the relationship goes South (presumably, it will). We had an issue like this and the scorned lover really reacted badly, reported the other employee for all types of improper behavior, and eventually illegal behavior. It was a mess. If you have a code of professional conduct I would also consider that as a tool in either stopping the behavior or at least eliminating any at-work issues. Asking them to be more discrete sounds like collusion. Good luck!

HRforME · October 2008

If you do not want to setup a formal policy, then I would suggest addressing it via work performance issues. You state that it is starting to affect the one's work. To me, this is the perfect time to give a gentle warning about the company's expectations (such as keeping it out of the office, not during work hours, not affecting other employees, not discussing the relationship during work hours with other employees etc). If it is a supervisor/subordinate relationship, then I would strongly suggest giving one of them the chance to transfer.

You might also check to see what state laws your state has about an employees' right to privacy for behavior outside of work and fraternization policies. Some states are more employee friendly on this than others.

I have heard of companies who have both employees sign a document regarding the relationship, but it has been a while since I have seen one. And I have never needed one.

6386571 · October 2008

I would address this from the performance issue and share the perception or your concern about the effect it is having in the office. It is important they keep their relationship out of the workplace. You will have to keep a careful eye on them and discuss any behavior that pushes the line with them immediately. I recently had one of these blow up and one spouse called the employee and threatened them at work. This caused a lot of difficulty and stress in the office.

TXHRGuy · October 2008

[quote user="minelli"]We have two employees in our office that are obviously seeing each. Long lunch hours, hanging around each others space, etc. One is married and the other is not. It is slightly starting to affect one person's work, but not to the degree of having to talk to him yet. We do not have any policy of office romances, nor do we want to. My concern is the affect it is going to have on the office/individuals if this all blows up. How do I address this with the individuals. I would rather they be more discreet, but can I say that?[/quote]

It never hurts in situations like this to remind people that their personal life needs to stay out of the office. Not much more typically needs to be said.

Office Romance

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