I’m employed by this company, and so are you!

As I leapt out of bed this morning and tore off the page of my calendar, it was no surprise to me what was displayed…of course it’s Tuesday! But then reality hit me as hard as one of Cupid’s sharpened arrows that it is indeed the feast of the patron saint of lurrrve, St. Valentine himself.

I found myself regressing to my childhood days where I would eagerly await the postman, only to find a card nonchalantly embedded within the mail off my Nan, my very own “valentine”. You would think your own grandmother would be able to spell your own first name, and not spell ‘Luck’ every year (without fail).

So with glee I arrived at work this morning, seeing it for all intents and purposes as a safe haven, only to be faced with a constant stream of roses being delivered to reception, and random scatterings of teddy bears and boxes of chocolates.

Did you know that a recent survey found that 72% of employees admit they have had a workplace romance? Although it’s not surprising as people spend most of their time in work, when the relationship turns sour it will most likely have a negative impact on both the productivity of your business and the morale of your employees.

Some businesses have deemed it to be such an issue that they have introduced policies to inform employees of their boundaries, where some have even tried to impose a blanket ban on employees conducting relationships with fellow colleagues. However, the general consensus is that a complete ban would be unworkable on several levels; one that it could lead to relationships being carried out in secret and two, whether it infringes on an employee’s human rights.

Employers need to be cautious that a budding relationship can create a legal minefield insofar as defining boundaries relating to flirting, spending time together and emailing, and of course a fall out could potentially lead to a sexual harassment claim within an employment tribunal.

There are a number of policies employers should implement or reinforce to help manage relationships in the workplace:

1. Harassment Policy – it is important to note that even if inappropriate conduct took place between two employees, if the conduct arose from behaviour in the workplace, the employer will be liable under discrimination legislation unless they have taken “reasonable practical steps” to stop the harassment from taking place.
2. Confidentiality Policy – One employee may be privy to confidential work-related information which must not be shared, even with a fellow employee whom they are in a relationship with.
3. Email Use Policy – a properly worded policy can address the excessive use of emails, and also ensure that their content does not contain any offensive material.

So…will you be my valentine?

If you require any advice on managing workplace relationships, or assistance with dealing with employees in general, please contact me, Luke Welsh, on 01792 525 400 or luke.welsh@jcpsolicitors.co.uk.