Romancing Professionally

One of the basic building blocks of good working culture is interactions between employees. But when this interaction is between opposite sexes, more than often it is termed as “romance”. On one hand company wants to promote interactions and on other it wants to limit it to an professionally accepted level, which is difficult to define and measure.

One of the major reasons for rise in office relationship can be attributed to increasing working pressure, resulting in blurring line between work and personal life .As culture of working couple is on rise, they are getting lesser and lesser time to spend together. So looking for better halves at workplace is on rise.

Organization are increasingly getting vary of these relationships as it can be linked to performance of employees to an extent. But all office romances are not dangerous for the health of organizations. Organizations should basically watch out for hierarchical romances and utilitarian romance. In the hierarchical romance the persons involved are direct in reporting structure and any romantic relationship can cause favouritism .In Utilitarian romance, the main aim of the romance is to achieve a purpose, usually to earn mileage in one’s career. This type of romance has high potential for converting into sex scandals in an organisation.

But in spite of all these, organisations should be ever committed to provide workers with right kind of environment. Love contract is definitely not one of the options because it restricts the freedom of interactions. These types of contracts can only induce the feeling of guilty for persons involved.

Clear policies regarding office relationships and right kind of orientation at the time of joining is must for success of defining the right kind of attitude in the work place. Policy can go to as far as defining appropriate and inappropriate behaviours like public display of affection. The policy should not only be crystal clear but also communicated effectively.