Relationships among workplace peers are the most common type of organizational relationships. At times, these platonic relationships turn romantic which are often regarded as an organizational issue. A workplace romance (WR) is defined as a no-platonic bond between two members of an organization in which both sexual attraction and affection is present (Cowan & Horan, 2014). WRs are common in organizations. According to a poll by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), found that 40% of employees had been involved in a WR at some point in their careers (Cowan & Horan, 2014). The SHRM also found that over 70% of organizations do not have policies that prohibit WR. One of the most concerning questions that arises regarding workplace …show more content…
A lateral romance is a relationship between employees of equal status. A hierarchical romance is where two employees are at different organizational levels. For example, when a manager is romantically involved with his or her subordinate. Hierarchical WR are more frequent and more problematic than lateral romances due to the power differences between the partnership (Wilson, 2015). Research has also identified a number of different motives for engaging in a WR. It may be: a love motive- a sincere desire to seek a long-term relationship, an ego motive- a desire to seek adventure, excitement, sexual experience or a job-related motive- a desire to seek security, power, financial rewards (Wilson, 2015). Power is a key variable in understanding the effects and consequences of the romance. It acts as a function of the dependence of each partner on the other for resources that are exchanged in the relationship. Workplace behavior is affected when there is an unbalanced power relation, however when the power relationship is balanced, both members are equally committed to their organizational and personal roles (Pierce et al., …show more content…
Prior studies acknowledge and examine how coworkers describe WR and their reactions. However there is a lack of research understanding what the couples themselves think about how they are treated as a couple. For example, research shows there are negative attitudes from other employees towards couples in the workplace romance and that other employees may see a couple as a power coalition. Are they being treated like one and the same person? Do the couples feel that people at work treat them as an invincible duo with extra power, rather than as two separate individuals with more limited
Purpose & Other: : I give the purpose and other a 10 out of 10 because the goal of the article was to inform organizations, employers, presidents and/or employees about the importance of strengthening relationships between an employer, an employee, and the company in its entirety.
I have learned that, interpersonal relationships are difficult to maintain. I often ask myself why, relationships require so much work. Why do I, stay in a relationship where the bad outweighs the good? The social exchange perspective argues, according to Monge & Contractor, as cited by West & Turner that “People calculate the overall worth of a particular relationship by subtracting its cost from the rewards it provides.”
· Romantic relationships between employees, i.e., perceptions of favoritism and morale problems can occur among employees, and there is a built-in potential for discrimination or harassment charges.
Devito, Joseph A. "Relationship Maintenance; Love." Devito, Joseph A. The Interpersonal Communications Book. Boston: Pearson, Allyn & Bacon, 2009. 225, 254.
Throughout the one-hour-and-a-half observation much data was collected and stored for further investigation. Gender roles and power/authority were the two sociological concepts observed and applied to the analysis of this particular study. The four forms of groups examined were intimate couple, friends, single person and families. The field observation was concerned with the comparison between these different groups' interactions.
Workplace romance is an issue that has been causing employers to create and enforce a No-Fraternization Policy. A No-Fraternization Policy is sometimes called a “Love Contract,” according to Kathryn Taylor from Society for Humans Resource Management (2008). A love contract is a policy that is signed by those involved in the relationship and the employer. This contract is a testimony stating that the relationship is consensual and voluntary by both. Many employees would say this is an invasion of their privacy but to others, including myself, it’s a protection for them and for the company. The No-Fraternization Policy is valuable because it helps reduce the possibility of harassment, favoritism, and will help keep productivity at a healthy level.
1. Should companies have explicit policies on co-workers dating, or is it better to leave things open? Yes, they should have an explicit policy it will cut down on liability that always exists around the employer-employee relationship. Employees want to know what acceptable workplace behavior is. They don 't want to break the policy and ruin their workplace status and career. Relationships shouldn’t be banned but if it affects someone work than they will have to be let go. The only relationship that will be banned is superior subordinate relationship. I think a contract should be put in place when coworkers start to date. There are always claims of favoritism, discrimination or harassment. When a workplace romance goes south, it can expose
Overall, we can see that 200 years later we are still attempting to escape from the gender line created through society’s image of men and women. Men and women still fail to communicate their feelings within their relationships, resulting in an overall unhealthy marriage. Today women and men attempt to challenge these gender stereotypes by taking on the roles of the opposite gender, but like in the “Yellow Wallpaper” are immediately met with “heavy opposition” and disapproval through the process. Although we may seem as though we are improving in escaping from the gendered stereotypes, the past will always be recurrent in a majority of relationships today if dominance within the relationship is not equally balance between both sexes.
Since the concept of workplace dating is changing, companies must adopt some form of dating polices. Companies can decide to ban dating at all, ask employees to sign a love contract, or allow dating outside of the chain of command. The policy must be clearly defined enforced, and employees must be trained on the policy. Companies can also designate an HR official who can answer employee questions about the policy and report any complaints of sexual harassment or favoritism. Having a dating policy eliminates confusion among
...rsity of Missouri: Extramarital Affairs in the Workplace (PDF): An extensive article examining the effects of extramarital affairs in the workplace.
... workplace and can be a major cause of negative tension in the workplace. Sometimes friendships do not always work out in workplaces because of jealousy and hostility coworkers may feel towards one another.
The first reference to lesbian love in Indian Literature was in the Rig Veda. According to Gita Thalani there were legislations against lesbian love, validating only procreative sex. The code of Manu contains the punishments meted out to women engaging in homosexual acts, a virgin girl who engages in love-making with another deserves the punishment of being fined and beaten. Thus we see that lesbianism and homosexuality were not only present in ancient India, but were also suppressed and punished.
Dating use to be simple. Two people get to know each other, go on a few dates, and then one day they decide to be boyfriend and girlfriend. However, this doesn't seem to be the case anymore. The term “Dating” is getting used less every day. Dating is a thing of the past because it takes a longer process for two people to determine if they are ready to commit, the term “talking” has replaced the word dating, and because people don't stay fully committed to one person anymore.
Throughout most of my life I have gained friendships and relationships with others that have turned into long term, but others which only lasted a short while. The friendship that has greatly impacted my life significantly over the last eight years is someone who means so much to me. This meaningful friendship all started back when I was in middle school, which has grown stronger over the years. I met Brooke in middle school because we had some of the same classes and were in homeroom together. Our friendship developed quickly and lasted throughout our high school years. We became really close our Junior and Senior year of high school. But, maintaining our friendship hasn’t always been so easy. Today, we text and call each other on our free time, but I know I can count and rely on her when I need someone to talk too. I call her my second sister and vice versa. And when we go home on breaks we see one another as much as we can. The best part of our relationship is that if one is in need of advice or in need of a shoulder to cry on, we are always there for one another. Keeping in contact is very important in our relationship and communication has played a key role in our relationship.