Should Employers Regulate Dating Between Employers

Emmanuelle Moreno Should Employers Regulate Dating Between Employers? Should Employers Regulate Dating Between Employers? In an average person’s life there is hardly any time for a personal life, so it’s only natural that many people are now meeting their spouses on the job. Ray E. Gallo (2006) says that not only are employees having office flings, but they are also getting married to their co-workers. Getting involved romantically or physically with supervisors is more common today than ever before. Office romance has become so common in the work place that it has become a problem with day to day office activities, which becomes a problem for Human Resource and along other management. Human Resource managers must deal with†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"In November 2005, an online poll by the Society for Human Resource Management and CareerJournal.com found that 72 percent of organizations had no written or verbal policies that addressed work place romance.† When drafting a love contract, Robert K. Smithson (2011) suggested that Human Resources should not take it into their hands to write their own policies, but leave it to the professionals. He feels that an employment attorney would better assist companies by doing the background research on sexual harassment issues and matters of privacy, for them. Having a well-drafted contract would not only decrease the risk of sexual harassment claims and litigation, but most importantly the liability for the organization itself. Yet even having the most well crafted love contract will not guarantee that it will be used. Saul Karen (2007) talks about a recent case where in November 2005, Mark W. Everson was for ced to resign as president and CEO of the American Red Cross because of his relationship with a female subordinate. Everson was married at the time. It is unlikely he would have signed a love contract. Another reason love contracts don’t have much weight is because research has indicated that subordinates are sometimes forced or pressured to sign a love contract just so they can guarantee advancement within the company. Rather than signing because they really care for the person, they may be placed