While I agree that some policies a company has the right to make, I do not agree that it should be legal for someones boss to be able to dictate to them who they can and can not have a relationship with. I mean, who the hell is the employer to tell you that you can not date, or marry, etc a fellow co-worker?

No smoking on company grounds, no alcohol on company grounds, no sex on company grounds, yes those are all valid policies. But as an adult you have the right to see who you want to when not at work, and have a relationship with whomever you want to. That right should nt be able to be denied to you by your boss.

Who agrees, or disagrees?

Work and Relationships do not work.........

I disagree where coworkers are involved. In situations where one person does or could have seniority over another, it opens up the door to too many potential sexual harassment suits. I think the company has the right to protect themselves against that potential.

it boils down to the issue of whether or not the employees are adult and mature. As an adult you have the right to see anyone you want to know matter who says what (except the potential partner of course )

In regards to sexual harassment charges, those are going to be around forever whether company policy "allows" relationships or not. I am not referring to whether someone should be allowed to proposition somebody at work with the promises of favors, that is definitely wrong and illegal. But in regards to actual relationships, it should be up to the individuals concerned to decide whether or not they can handle it. And of course if they can not handle it, THEN it becomes a company issue and the company has the right to fire you for disrupting flow of business, or whatever.

there is no evidence that work and relationships are less likely to work out than relationships with people you do not work with. Working at the same place as your significant other does not increase or decrease the likelihood of the relationship working out. What DOES increase/decrease this likelihood is the maturity levels and the willingness of both people to be adults and mature, which means if it doesn't work out, you accept the fact and move on.

I 100% agree.

I think it could work if the person is in another part of the building...But if they worked together it would be a recipe for disaster

Regardless what one thinks it is the right of and employer to maintain working conditions and their polices to what ever they desire that will keep as much confusion out as needed.

If one does not like the polices that are in place when they hire on they have the choice at that time to not work there or follow the polices that are in place.....

ok, so far we have two people who state that work and relationships absolutely with no qualifications or exceptions, do not work out.

I can introduce you to people in the military that are married to other soldiers, and I garuntee you there is no higher stress job in the world than the military. They have been married since they first joined the military and are still very much strong and mature in their relationship 15 years later.

I know there are other "success stories" regarding working marriages and relationships outside the military, so your opinion is flawed in regards to 100% do not work out.

I believe you are intending to say that they NORMALLY do not work out. But as I stated above, there is no evidence to suggest that having a relationship with someone you work with is any likelier to work out or fail just because you work together. And an employer should not have the legal right to tell you who you can and can not see (so long as it is consentual, and no improper promises, favors are performed).

If something improper does happen then yes the employer has the right to fire you, and possibly even file charges (in the case of sexual harassment). But they do NOT have the right to tell you that you can not see whomever you want. THAT decision is up to you and your potential partner.

I agree that if you do not agree with the policies you have the rigfht to not work there. HOWEVER, that is not the question. The question is whether or not an employer has the right to take your legal right to choose your own partner away from you.

work and relationships they don't work: : ::

In regards to the employer having the right to make policies to prevent (or try to) possible confusion, etc, that means they have the right to tell you that you can not wear the color red, because the color red is possibly going to cause someone to "see red" and go postal.

Some of them do. And I DO have to say I agree with a person not being able to date someone who is in leadership position(s) over them (unless they were dating prior to the person gaining the position, then one of them should be moved to a different area)

They are not taking that right away from anyone! All one has to do is one partner will have to make the choice to work else where.....

Business is Business it does not have the time to worry about and office romance that could go sour and cause problems down the road.

So I do believe that each Employer has the right to set there own set of polices if one does not want to abide by them they have the right to move on..........

Hmm. I dont think your legal right is taken away so much as he is asserting his legal right to maintain his business in the way he sees fit. You wont be going to jail for having the relationship, you will just be fired for not keeping your part of the (probably written) agreement.

Well, if forbidden relationships aren't mandated, then why not unravel the other policies, too? After all, if you get your relationships, dammit, I want my alcohol and cigarettes. It's only fair!!
Just because you say those other rules are valid doesn't mean they are. The company does, and they are the ones who OWN a business, and unless it's against the law, they can have their rules. Just like I am sure a business has had experience with alcohol and smoking, they have likely had experiences with water cooler romances with devastating impact.

This smacks of the idiot who wants to sue A&F because she wants to wear her religious headgear, not what the A&F policy wants her to wear.

but the question is, does anyone other than the two people involved, truly have the right to determine whether or not you see each other? yes, the way it is now, you have the right to quit if you start seeing someone you work with. But why should you HAVE to, just because there MIGHT be a problem down the road due to it. If two employees agree that they can handle the situation on their own if the relationship does not work out, then they have the right to see each other. And if they FAIL to maintain proper decorum in the ofice, or let relationship drama come into play at the office, then yes the employer has the right to stop the drama, etc. But he does nto have the right to stereotype you and claim that you can not do something just becaucse it mIGHT have an undue reaction at work.

It boils down to people being mature, and immaturity is a legal reason to fire someone.

In case you haven't noticed, too many ADULTS are not mature and cannot behave and handle these matters, especially when the relationship fails or is un-equal. And why ask for trouble as an employer? Too many shades of grey and it's their liability insurance policy on the line. And if a relationship is SO IMPORTANT to two coworkers, then they should oblige company policy by removing themselves from that work environment.

Okay you want to bring the military issue in this first of all I would almost bet those married couples are not within the same area over the same issues either. They most likely are in completely different units and not over the other partner.

Sure it can work in those cases but I assure you most were basing there opinions off a business where two people work within close quarters of each other...

I did not in fact say it could not work as fact I said it does not normally work. I have in fact been there done that.... so as far as I see it is not a good policy to date other co-workers that in fact you work within the same area that you have to see them on a daily bases and your paths cross each other.....

That is strictly my opinion and what I see and I still believe if a company wants to put that in their policy they have the right to do so...

Your saying they do not have the right to run their company as they see fit....I say your wrong it is their company and they have the right to do what they see is needed in order to keep the work environment from being turned up side down from and office romance that has gone bad in the future....

I'm not sure I understand you here. Are you saying the person suing is wrong because she shouldn't wear her religious headgear if company policy dictates otherwise? That isnt true. As long as tehre is not a safety issue involved (like the headgear getting caught in a machine and causing her or the machinery major damage, then she has the legal right to wear that headgear) (freedom of religion))

In regards to alcohol and smoking versus watercooler romances, tobacco and alcohol; alcohol is proven to affect your behavior, and to reduce your capabilities, and tobacco has been proven to be hazardous to the health even if you are just standing in the same genera area as someone else smoking. You do NOT have the right to endanger someone else's safety or health. However, a watercooler romance does not harm anybody ever. It is the immaturity of SOME people if it doesn't work out that cause problems and difficulties.