Relationship in office ??? A toughest question with simplest answer


If you are working in an organization and you like someone, then the first question is in your mind what you do ? As HR what he/she take action ? Is that right or wrong ? etc.
Well like Office politics this question (romance) is a key used by one person against other for their benefit. Small firms and offices consider it as a environment threat but Big Houses consider it's natural.
I hope those who have small mentality must read the things - 

What constitutes an office relationship?
In real life, people’s relationships exist on many levels, not all sexual, which complicates the effort to write an office policy about relationships. Even non-sexual behavior can be unwanted or inappropriate. It’s often in the eye of the beholder (or the beholder’s spouse) whether or not a platonic relationship with a coworker crosses the line.
So, for the purposes of this article, an office relationship will be defined as two people sexually involved with each other, and we’ll discuss tips and challenges when developing policies regarding office romances.
Consider these facts when deciding whether your office needs a policy:
  • 37% of workers have dated a co-worker
  • 32% have married a co-worker
  • More than 1 in 10000 employees has admitted to having physical relationship with a coworker in the workplace.
Define your terms
Within the boundaries of the law, every firm should determine its own definition of an office relationship. Even if the office prohibits them, employees need to know what precisely is prohibited. If relationships are allowed, the policies regarding them should reflect each organization’s unique makeup. The idea is to create a policy that’s realistic enough that it can be enforced in a reasonable, fair manner. So it should suit your firm’s culture.
But avoid being so specific when writing a policy for your firm’s population that you inadvertently discriminate against a protected class. The rules need to apply fairly to all couples no matter their sexual orientation, race, or other factors such as age (as long as no one is a minor—and you can never be too clear about this if you have interns).
Do consider the size and demographics of the firm when developing your policies. Think about the differences between a small start-up firm run by a group of pre-existing friends, a firm run by a husband-and-wife team, a small forty-person one-office firm, and a large firm with many practice groups and office locations. Each of these firms would have very different policies.

Tough questions and straightforward answers-
If you choose to allow office relationships, here are eight points to consider when establishing your guidelines. They are by no means comprehensive, but they are some of the most frequent questions. The answers reflect commonsense advice for how to best preserve workplace professionalism and help your firm avoid legal issues. You should always write a policy that conforms to your firm’s other employee policies, and HR should confer with the firm’s legal counsel in all matters such as this.

1) Conduct in the workplace: The workplace is a professional environment, and employees should behave in such a manner, which precludes any type of physical conduct between a couple. Flirting and favors should be avoided, as significant others should be treated the same as any other coworker. This applies as well to conduct on the telephone, email, and any other forms of communication. In addition to maintaining a professional tone, it’s imperative to continue to abide by the firm’s confidentiality and security policies regarding sharing information. This is true even for married couples.

2) Conduct during free work time (e.g., lunches): Conduct should be determined by the place, not the time. Behavior needs to conform to code anywhere on the office premises, at any time, even after hours or weekends.

3) Conduct at offsite work engagements: On business trips, can a room be shared between consenting adults? Unless the working couple is married, no shared rooms. Variation on this theme: Some offices will book two rooms, but not monitor who stays in which room. Any work function, whether at a conference center or hotel, should be treated as an extension of the office space. In some firms, even after-work gatherings at restaurants, bars, or holiday parties are considered an extension of the office space and are thus subject to office policies.

4) Does the relationship need to be declared within the firm? This is another question that will have to be answered relative to the size and culture of the firm. If declaration forms are part of the policy, then they must be included in the Employee Handbook of policies and procedures, and discussed during sexual harassment training. Should a relationship be allowed between two members in the same practice area? Again, this would depend on the firm and its policies. Is it generally recommended? No. The perception of a conflict of interest or favoritism could be too great.

5) What happens if the relationship is between a superior and subordinate (in any part of the firm)? The firm must decide according to its own office structure. No matter the decision, it should be articulated to employees, discussing the reasons the firm does not allow such relationships, or, if it does, how to avoid and resolve any potential conflicts of interest that a reporting relationship might create. This is particularly true when deciding whether partner/employee relationships are appropriate for your firm. Most firms prohibit relationships between superiors and subordinates. If yours does, be careful to specify that any disciplinary actions should be applied fairly no matter a person’s rank in the firm. This is true for all firms, but ones with extensive title structures or many partners (and thus higher odds for relationships across the reporting structure) might want to put additional language into their policies to this effect.

6) What happens if the relationship goes sour? This is why many firms opt for a disclosure form with their policy. When the initial disclosure is made, HR has an opportunity to discuss what happens if the relationship ends. From the firm’s perspective, it is generally not responsible for anything beyond ensuring that the workplace remains comfortable and safe for all parties involved, in or out of the relationship.

7) What happens if the relationship is heading for a more permanent union? It depends on the firm’s nepotism policy. Many firms treat married couples the same as domestic partners or dating couples, in that they still need to avoid conflicts of interest and sexual harassment. Some firms require one spouse to leave the firm. (And still others have been known to hire back the spouse as a “contractor.” Call it a nepotism work-around.)

8) What happens if you’d like to institute a policy now, but relationships already exist in the firm? It’s obviously easier to have a policy in place before a situation arises, and you don’t want your policy to appear to target a specific couple. Once you create a policy, however, your policy should be applied fairly to all of your employees. Depending on how strict your policy, it could mean transferring an employee or asking one half of a married couple to resign, so you’ll want to craft your policy to be one you can reasonably enforce in a variety of situations.

As a crux HR should check that due to relationship this are going worst in the environment or not. No one has rights to stop anyone after office working hours. If your Boss treated you ill just because you are in a relationship and you are not doing wrong in the office premises just make him cleared that this is not of your business. Few people are backward.

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