Excerpt from National Federation of Independent Business on "When Love Walks in the Door"

by Pamela Mills-Senn

04/09/07

Romantic relationships between coworkers or between superiors and subordinates place any size company in jeopardy, but the risk can be especially acute for smaller businesses, says attorney Robin Bond, president and founder of Transition Strategies, LLC, Wayne, Pa.-based employment law firm.

The biggest concern centers around the potential for sexual-harassment charges should the relationship sour and the spurned party take this route to retaliate, Bond says. But this isn't the only worry workplace liaisons present.

Office romances can impact everyone who comes into contact with the twosome, causing co-workers to feel uncomfortable and leading to charges of a sexually-charged, hostile workplace, explains Dallas-based Carrie Hoffman, attorney with Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP, a full-service law firm. And, if the involved parties happen to be superior and subordinate or a company owner and an employee, it can create the perception that one must sleep with the boss in order to get ahead.

Morale and productivity issues aside, these relationships can pose a real financial hazard to small companies should they find themselves having to defend against a sexual-harassment or hostile workplace claim, Bonds says. Considering the ramifications and taking a proactive approach, rather than waiting for the ire to hit the fire, is smart. Let's explore two somewhat different strategies for dealing with office romances.

Disclosing relationships

Some companies require involved employees to sign disclosure documents (euphemistically referred to by some as "love contracts"), where both parties state for the record that they are involved in a sexual relationship, freely entered into.

A disclosure document is different from a sexual-harassment policy, says Bond, adding that every company must have a sexual-harassment policy. In addition to outlining appropriate on-the-job behavior, disclosure documents provide evidence that no one was coerced into the relationship, offering the company protection against a sexual-harassment lawsuit.

(To read the complete article, go to http://www.nfib.com/object/IO_32937.html)

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The National Federation of Independent Business is the leading advocacy organization representing small and independent businesses. A nonprofit, nonpartisan organization founded in 1943, NFIB's mission is to promote and protect the right of its members to own, operate and grow their businesses.