I have tried it once and never again. It does not work out and can be a cause of serious concern if one feels they didn't advance. It should not be allowed for someone under you as it is a conflict in your management of the person. You are opening yourself up for a lawsuit. Let's face it, over half of relationships fail and regardless of how mature someone is, it's a disruption that's not needed in the workplace.IMO

Huge business where you aren't closely working-perhaps. Small or family run business-never.

And as I said, immaturity is grounds for dismissal in any working environment. Has nothing specific to do with relationships verses showing up on time, or not wearing the proper safety gear because you dont like it.

To say that because SOMETIMES a relationship doesn't work out, and SOMETIMES the people involved are too immature to work things out on their own then NO ONE can choose for themselves who they will see is stereotyping which is a form of discrimination.

There are inherent risks in operating a business, and no matter what you do there will ALWAYS be inherent risks. It is not possible to reduce all of them, nor is any company insurance policy that I am aware of, capable of dictating it's terms based upon office romance.

So it comes down to where do you draw the line? What is reasonable to try and prevent, and what isnt?

Also keep in ind, that wether you are in a relationship with a fellow employee or not, there is always the chance that if your relationships ends badly that it will carry over to the work place. I have had to fire more than one person, because they would not keep their troubled marriage out of the company.

With that being said, then it would be right for an employer to state you can not be in any relationship period, nor married, or anything else while you work here, because if something happens down the road, you MIGHT bring it into the office.

I totally think it's a valid rule.
You may not think your boss has the right to dictate what you do in your relationships... and outside of work, he / she doesn't.
HOWEVER. When you start dating someone at work it creates a different work environment. It creates biases. Lost work time. Gossip / rumors and sometimes jealousy among other staff members. And often times, the relationships don't last and then you're creating a hostile enviornment where you have to deal with your ex everyday. When there's hurt feelings between you and your ex, especially at work, this can be disasterous.

There are rules in place in a lot of business environments that not even immediate family members can work together. Obviously the rules are there for a purpose. While it may not seem fair to you, it doesn't change the fact that if we want a job, we have to adhere to the rules or get a new one.

When dating a co-worker, rarely does it work out that even if they stay together, they continue working together. It's just not a good plan.

"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. "

Well, if she was so worried about her religion, she wouldn't be working at A&F, and if my boss says I have to work in only suits and dresses, no midriffs, no tattoos showing, no facial piercings, no leggings, then that is what I must do. If I have any of those to proclaim my religious freedom or LACK of religious expression, it's not their business. I could make my own damned religion up and insist that leggings are incorporated into that religion, but that doesn't mean they can't tell me "no".

And, in response to your proven effects on behaviour, a lot of stupidity and bad behaviours stem from work place relationships and definitely have shown to have negative effects on productivity during and after said relationships. If it's not illegal, your employer can pretty much mandate whatever they want.

The same rules apply to college professors and students. Even tho the students are all adults, they are not permitted to date their students. Again, it creats a biased atomsphere that is unfair to the other students or co workers.
Keep your personal life and home and your work life at work.

exactly. If I am going to pay you... and you are doing jobs for me, then you have to abide by the rules I have set. The workplace isn't a dating scene.

I think people confuse LEGAL rights with workplace dress codes. If you are not at work, you have the RIGHT to wear whatever you wish. But at a place of business, the employer has a right to set a DRESS Code and if it is not a code you can abide by , that is not the job for you. The only exceptions are those things covered under the EEO laws( things like sexual persuasion, race,,etc,,) that an employer cannot make mandates about.

The thing is... is who decides who's mature enough to deal with these situations? The boss? The employees? I'm a boss. I wouldn't dare decide which one of my staff is mature enough to date another one and which ones can't.
You keep talking about your rights. Yes. You, as the employee have rights. But you don't however have the right to work for me. You have the right to be treated equal and fair as the rest of the staff. You have the right to take breaks. You have rights to equal pay. These are your legal rights. You don't have the right to turn the work place into a soap opera drama by dating other staff members. I also have the right to fire you for violating my policies that I set forth when you were hired. If an employee is aware of the policies, and he / she chooses to ignore them, then that employee has earned the right to be fired.

This includes religious artifacts as well. Your employer has the legal right to deny you to wear it ONLY if it poss a safety risk for yourself or the company. If it is not a safety risk then they can require you to wear a suit, yes, but they can not stop you from wearing the religious artifact as well. A good example is a cross on a chain. One factory had the o=policy that you could not wear a chain at work cause it could get caught int eh machines. however, an employee was willing to tape the chain and cross to his chest every day with medical tape, to keep it from dangling or getting caught. The judge ruled in the employees favor due to he fact that it did not cause undue risk while taped to his body.


And again, everyone seems to keep bringing up that inter work relationships MIGHT ring drama, envy, jealousy etc into the work place. But the simple fact is a work related romance does not bring any more of these issues in than any other type of romance. So if the employer is going to say no employee romances, they HAVE to say also no relationships outside of work period, otherwise they are discriminating between the two. And they can not tell you that you can not have a relationship. They do not have that right.

This also comes down to the American right to the pursuit of happiness, NOBODY can deny you that right so long as you are not causing harm or damage to other people and property.

You are correct in saying I do not have the right to turn the office into a soap opera. However you as an employer do not have the right to say that I WILL, without a doubt, cause drama, jealousy, conflict etc. because I have an interoffice affair. And y are right it is not your position to judge who is mature enough. It is the individual persons responsibility. And if they turn out to be wrong about that and cause all kinds of mayhem THEN you have the right to fire them yes. But you do not have the right to take away their choice to try.

And again, I reiterate there is no place for a relationship if one of the two people is in a leadership position over the other one. I agree with everyone on that.

I can't legally fire them for doing something that I allowed them to do.
I do have the right as an employer to decide what behavior is acceptable in my workplace.
I do not have to prove that you will for sure cause drama and jealousy. It doesn't always happen. But sometimes, it does. It's called being proactive instead of reactive. Proactive is always better in the long run than reactive. If I allow it to happen, and then if it does turn ugly, and I do have to fire someone, then I have to pick up all the pieces. I have to hire again, train again. Get the workplace back to "normal"
All I have to do is provide you with our company policies and you, as a mature adult, gets to decide if you want to abide by those policies and continue to work for me. That's your right.

Sorry but dating a co-worker never works out and I have worked for a company that said something simular to that policy. It's in the best interest of the employees.

having to fire the irresponsible and trouble causer is part of being a boss. You don't like that part then choose to be the employee instead. Bosses do not have total and all authority, as much as they would like to make it out that they do. Yes yu control your workplace, and what you allow in it. But hat should not give you the power to tell somebody else that they can not date who they want to. You are not their mother (or in some cases father), and you should not have the right to tell them they can not date someone. Again, relationships go bad whether you are working with the person or not. And they do not go bad more, just because you work with them. You have to deal with employees going through divorces and break ups even if they are not working together, then it should not make any difference if they do.

That and the fact that when there is a breakup which eventually there will be, the tension just creates more problems if not drama at work.. Been there done that and completely support no dating at work... don't poo where you eat....

Employer/s have the right to impose rules and policies. If you do not like them? You do not have to accept or work for their company. They make you read and sign a paper that you are agreeing to those rules and policies during orientation or first day of work. If you do not like it, you can always say no thanks. The main reason is they want to make sure that their company is safe to work and that people are abiding the rules and policies.

100% Agree the work and relationship does not work together... nope

don't stick your pen in company ink...

Bottom line is most of us sign a CONTRACT before working for any company that outlines its policies and dress codes. IF we dont agree with those policies, not only is that company not right for us, we have the right to seek employment elsewhere. ITs kind of like being in someones house, they have the right to set whatever rules they like and if you dont like them you have the right not to come to their house.

If I do not allow swearing in my house, I havent taken away your legal right, I have just enforced my right to keep my home as I see fit.

see, the thing I have the biggest problem with is the concept of absolutes. You can not state that they NEVER work out, cause I can introduce you to couples who it does work for. And it doesn't work less when you work together than if you don't.

Let's say for the sake of argument however, that you and I worked together and decided to start dating (again for the sake of argument). Because company policy dictates that we can not work together and date, I quit and look for another job.

After about 6 months, things are going badly enough that w decide to break up. I am no longer working there, however I decide to call you at work all the time, like I always did while we were seeing each other. You in turn get an order of protection, and I ignore it (no I would never do any of this, but we all know people do do this very scenario). Now the company has all kinds of drama, the police are likely involved as I have ignored the protection order on company premises, etc. Employees are all upset and less productive, maybe even afraid of what will happen next.

What did company policy truly prevent from happening? Absolutely nothing. And the scenario I gave, I did so specifically cause a gentleman I supervised once, had a girlfriend who had never worked for the company, do this very stunt to him of ignoring the order of protection and everything. I ended up having to fire him for the better good of the company and staff (not my decision, though I would have done so anyway).

So i makes no difference (except in cases of leadership) if you date an employee or not.