An uncomfortable but necessary issue to address
When it comes to workplace relationships, most employers sit in a grey zone. They know office romances happen. They know many people meet long‑term partners at work. But they also know that when things go wrong, the fallout can be legally and culturally devastating.
In conversation with HRD, Julian Arndt, director at Australian Business Lawyers and Advisors, noted that key risk isn’t romance itself – it’s what happens when conduct becomes unwelcome or when power imbalances and conflicts of interest are allowed to fester.
“There are [plenty] of workplace relationships that occur, and [plenty] of people meet each other at work, and lots of people end up very happy meeting someone at work. I think the point is there are risks involved with workplace relationships, where they go bad or where advances aren't accepted happily,” said Arndt.
In that space between “fine” and “unwelcome” is where employers must be extremely careful.
In the US, “no fraternisation” or outright bans on workplace dating are common in large corporates. In Australia, Arndt said that kind of formal prohibition is still the exception rather than the rule.
“It’s a very American thing, the idea of having formal policies – no fraternisation policies,” he explained.
Arndt said you occasionally see formal policies in Australia, but over the full spectrum of employers his organisation advises, specific...
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