Workplace romance – the pros and cons

Nowadays, organizations are facing the problem of office romance. People are spending most of their time at work and relationships naturally develop. The article presented describes the implication of workplace romance and some of its consequences. The objective of this essay is to undertake an in-depth analysis of office romance focusing on two organizational behaviour concepts stress at work and sexuality.  

As we can see from the article ''The Ethics of Office Romance'' by Bruce Weinstein (see appendix 1) love is an emotion that can produce as many negative as positive feelings, and it can affect not only those in the relationship but also other workers that are not directly involved in it. Notions of masculinity and femininity, and moreover sexual attraction between workers are inevitable. However, a failed relationship at work could lead to stress, reflects employees' judgment, creates conflicts among co-workers which leads to sexual harassment and hostile work environment, gradually decreasing the productivity level. Organizations are confronting with this issue, trying to find solutions about it while considering the possible consequences that workplace relationships involve and also pay attention not to breach human rights. On the other hand, an office romance might also have some positive effects over employees. It might increase people's desire to work, stimulate their creativity which could be beneficial for the business as a whole.

Workplace romance is defined as an intimate relationship between two individuals who are working together, in the same work location, or the same company. The most common idea about this type of relationship is that it is too risky, unnecessary and can lead mainly to pain and stressful atmosphere. It is quite sensible that in the article ''The Ethics of Office Romance'' the all-important question is what happens when/if the relationship ends? Breaking up is never easy and is often quite dramatic, so there is no need the colleagues to know about it and then gossiping about a failed relationship. As a result, there is a tense and uncomfortable atmosphere, which distracts not only those who were in a relationship but also the entire office. That could produce an organizational chaos and anxiety which are general factors for stress. Stress is a significant problem that appears to be increasing in the future. According to the statistical information from HSE ''in 2008/09 an estimated 415 000 individuals in Britain, who worked in the last year, believed that they were experiencing work-related stress at a level that was making them ill''. The effects are negative for both individuals and organizations. Figure 1 below illustrates the sources and symptoms of work stress and the possible effects arising from it, according to Cartwright and Cooper (1997) modern view.

They argue that non-work factors (women's domestic burden or relationship at work) are one of the main sources of stress in an organization. However, some individuals are more predisposed to the effects of stress than others. There are two separate personality types A and B that hold different behaviour patterns. Individuals from Type A tend to be more ambitious, competitive, often very impatient and aggressive. People with Type A personalities have great desire for advancement and are more likely to succeed, but the high level of stress they are experiencing leads to heart diseases. Type B personality types are more relaxed, tolerant in their work and less likely to suffer from stress. Therefore, one faces not only the dilemma of working hard and the possibility of psychological effects of overwork, but also the difficult and stressful situation of having a romantic relationship at work. In general, most people under high pressure are easily distracted, aggressive and tend to be poor workers, as a result the organization is inefficient and quality is dropping, which could be extremely costly. Therefore, it is in employers’ interest to make sure that workers are not stressed, that work is going smoothly and there is a healthy working environment. Still, stress is considered to be a long-term phenomenon that makes it more dangerous and even more difficult to deal with.  As described in the article (appendix 1), office romance could be a cause of stress and anxiety. The permanent memento of an unsuccessful relationship is pretty hard to endure, and it could affect the individual's ability to do his or her job properly, make him or her feels depressed. Furthermore, a separation at work could create awkward and unpleasant situation, and might harm the business.  

Referring to the article, dating someone at work could be predominately negative not only for the participants involved but for other workers as well. For instance, the Miller case in California 2005 is a clear proof of the negative consequences that might occur when a manager is dating someone who has a lower position or is under his or her direct supervision. Sexual favoritism behaviour immediately creates disrespect among co-workers towards their boss and puts employees under pressure. All these negative feelings present liability risk for workers and produce a serious practical problem because they can distort the smooth functioning of organizations (Quinn 1977).  

Join now!

Another problem that occurs frequently when considering office romance is sexual harassment. The legal definition of sexual harassment is “unwelcome verbal, visual, or physical conduct of a sexual nature that is severe or pervasive and affects working conditions or creates a hostile work environment”. Sex is a commodity that could be market for profit. There may be many different ways and reasons why this kind of sexual behaviour might occur. For instance, one of the individuals in a failed relationship might still have feelings and may try to hurt the other person, seeking revenge by verbal or physical abuse, such as ...

This is a preview of the whole essay