Love is often in the air at flower shops, but if a new workplace survey is any indication, it's thicker than you think.

About 40 percent of employees report being involved in a workplace romance at some point in their careers, according to the 2006 Workplace Romance Survey by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and The Wall Street Journal's CareerJournal.com Web site.
 
The study found that, although it's long been a general rule for supervisors not to date subordinates, with 80 percent of employers and 60 percent of employees against such a relationship, now more organizations are beginning to feel the need for employees to tell their supervisors of other ongoing relationships. Some of this stems from concerns about retaliation (conflicts between co-workers after a relationship ends) which grew from 12 percent in 2001 to 67 percent in 2005.

One florist from Florida she saw the ugly side of workplace romances firsthand after a relationship between a designer and wholesale "bucket truck" salesman soured. The situation caused so many problems that she is planning to issue a written statement regarding matters of the heart, something 70 percent of companies do not have, according to the SHRM study.

"It will stress the fact that, while we cannot forbid it, we will not tolerate any interference with business," the florist says.

Staying on top of the issue is a smart strategy, says attorney John S. Satagaj. Although it's hard to regulate relationships in small businesses, he says owners and managers must keep an eye on romantic liaisons.

"What may seem innocent enough at first can escalate into a real problem," says Satagaj, adding that, as with all HR issues, it's important to implement workplace romance policies consistently and fairly. "Be aware, even if it's not realistic to have a rigid policy, an inner-office relationship could turn into something down the road," including a sexual harassment lawsuit.

Still, not every romance ends with a fiery break-up or uncomfortable workplace tension -- the same Florida florist who saw the negative effects of a discontinued relationship between employees, watched another two employees fall in love three years after losing their respective spouses. 

"[One male employee] had lost his wife about the same time that [another employee's] husband had passed," she says. "They got married and are very happy."

And, in the end, some florists argue that the nature of the job has a kind of moderating influence on the temptation to indulge in a workplace romance.

"We are involved with romances daily through our customer's flower orders," says Manny Gonzales, owner of Tiger Lily Florist in Charleston, S.C. "We're the fly on the wall watching romances blossom or whither over time.  Hopefully, this gives us a little insight to how things can go well/wrong."

Concerned about a romantic liaison in the workplace -- or any other work-related issue? SAF members can take advantage of a complimentary 15-minute legal consultation over the phone with Satagaj. Call (202) 639-8888, or fax to (202) 296-5333.

--Kori Kamradt
kkamradt@safnow.org

 

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