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Office romance or harassment
Staff Consultation to Affect Most Major Firms


Irish Independent
February 13th 2004

Office romance or harassment?

BEWARE if Cupid starts firing arrows in your workplace despite Valentine's Day being in the air. Whether it is sex or salary, passion or promotion, romance or reward you are after, be careful about office romances which may lead to an employment tribunal hearing rather than a church aisle or registry office.

A new survey of 1,000 people has found that two-thirds have been seduced by someone at work. The event was a one-night stand for 14pc, while 17pc had a short-lived fling. The research was conducted by Human and Legal Resources, employment law advisors based in London.

Four-out-of-ten people said their office relationship had lasted for more than three months, although, in 70pc of cases, the romance was now over. Workplace familiarity also breeds infidelity, the study found. One or both of the lovers were already married in 30pc of cases.

One in three people have had sex in their workplace, with the lifts, stairwells and workstations the most popular options for a `close encounter'.

Proximity of beds or private rooms can be an influence within the hotel and leisure industry an apparent `sexual safari' with 80pc of employees admitting to a relationship. These are not so much indiscretions associated with festive or sales' parties as erotic passion on the job.

This contrasts with hospitals where, despite the Mills and Boon reputation, nursing and medical staff are the least likely to have seduced, or have been seduced, by their colleagues. It's not so easy to steal furtive glances and blow kisses as dozens of anxious patients look up from trolleys in overcrowded A&E units.

Miriam Ahern, a human resource specialist who runs Align Management Solutions and advises firms on personnel policies, says that "office romances and trysts are a tricky form of 'workplace partnership' which needs careful handling. It is the most natural thing in the world for people to be attracted to one another at work."

She said that long hours may be spent in each-other's company without the distraction of the loud music and flashing lights afforded by the night-club scene. Colleagues can discretely and accurately weigh-up the object of their affections in terms of attitudes, behaviour and humour before ever making a romantic move.

"This 'reality TV type scrutiny means that weeks of workplace observation can reveal more than many months, or even years, of regular dating. On the positive side, this can kick-start the relationship on a very sound footing and the workplace is where many great, long-term relationships have begun."

However, problems can arise over short-term flings and affairs between employees who have a supervisory or management relationship.

She says that it is essential for organisations to have written policies but that does not mean that they have to be killjoys and force Cupid from the building. Some multinationationals have imported so-called 'love contracts' from their parent US companies, which forbid intimate workplace relationships. These are worthless and just drive couples into secret affairs and subterfuge.
Often any problems arise when a relationship comes to an end and one party feels unhappy about the situation. This can be compounded if they have a direct working relationship and especially, if one is the other's boss.

"You won't find the answer to this problem in your performance management policy. After all, Bill and Monica could never have imagined all the political and personal trouble their encounters in the White House's Oval Office would generate," Ms Ahern joked.

The survey of workplace romances found that two-thirds of those questioned said they had tried to keep their extra-curricular activities secret from other people at work. Things do not always turn out as planned with one-in-five employees stating that they left their job as a direct result of having an office romance.

One-in-fifty, or 2pc, were sacked as a result of some inappropriate affair. Half of those who had indulged in an office flirtation said it had adversely affected their work or productivity.

This is no place for moral judgements and it is a fact that workplaces can often be the location for marital infidelity. We caution employers and senior managers not to discriminate against married staff who may be involved in an office liaison, Ms Ahern said.

Often employers are unaware of the Employment Equality Act provisions under marital status and that it would be wrong to sanction a married person involved in an office affair and not someone who was single or 'available'.

The problems were exacerbated when it came to the 46pc of romances where one person, usually the man, was in a more senior position than their lover. One in five people who had watched a colleague have an affair with a boss said the relationship had resulted in favouritism to the subordinate. And 13pc of those who had romanced someone more senior admitted it had helped them to get promotion.

There is always a danger that a workplace romance could turn sour and lead to allegations of harassment. "This is a serious matter for senior management and the organisation's reputation. They usually need guidance on procedures to ensure Cupid's arrows do not lead them to an Equality Tribunal hearing," Ms Ahern cautions.

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Irish Independent
March 17th 2003

Staff Consultation to Affect Most Major Firms

Over 400 of Ireland's top 500 companies will have to introduce a system for staff consultation and information on their corporate plans over the next 24 months.

The two-year countdown to workplace consultation with employees begins next weekend (March 23) - new EU regulations on employee information and consultation come into effect on March 23, 2005.

"For most Irish companies these changes will have a dramatic effect on employee involvement and communication. They pose a serious challenge to management who lack a clear strategic plan or who have not yet introduced sophisticated internal communication channels," said Miriam Ahern of Align Management Solutions.

"Our research indicates that 410 of the top 500 Irish-registered commercial enterprises will come within the reach of the first phase of the new regulations. A further 26 companies will be covered by the second phase and, in total, 469 of the top 500 firms will have to establish employee information systems by the end of the decade,", she explained.

Generally, most companies with a turnover of more than €15m - apart from holding companies and some importers and wholesalers - will be affected.

The EU Directive on Information and Consultation, officially adopted last year, has yet to be translated into Irish law. But the general requirements are already clear, with its introduction coming in three phases. By March 2005, larger companies employing more than 150 staff will be obliged to establish a system for consultation irresp3ective of whether their employees are members of trade unions or not.

The basic requirement is that all undertakings or companies with at least 50 employees (or establishments/workplaces with at least 20 employees) must inform and consult employee representatives about business developments, employment trends and changes in work organisation. This could range from planned acquisitions to a loss of key contracts or orders.

Under the phased implementation, it will apply to firms employing more than 100 people from March 2007 and those with more than 50 staff from March 2008.

Implementation may be straightforward in strongly unionised enterprises that already have a representational structure.

However, it will pose serious challenges for managers in non-union firms, or those where union membership covers only a minority of employees.

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