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, legal expert Julian Arndt 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 some countries, particularly the US, “no fraternisation” rules or outright bans on workplace dating are common in large corporations. In many other regions, however, that kind of formal prohibition is still the exception rather than the rule.
“It’s a very specific cultural approach, the idea of having formal ‘no fraternisation’ policies,” Arndt explained.
He noted that while you do occasionally see formal bans on workplace relationships, across the full spectrum of...
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