Relationships that can turn sour (From York Press)

Relationships that can turn sour

2:40pm Tuesday 2nd March 2010 in

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“Our eyes met across the photocopier and I realised it was love at first sight” No this isn’t the start of my latest romantic novel but a reminder that many personal relationships start in the workplace.

We all hope for everlasting love but as another Valentine’s day came and went and the very over priced and over rated red roses faded and died, it begs the question: What happens when the relationship turns sour? Personal relationships at work can cause untold problems and conflicts which can affect an employees’ ability to perform their job, have a detrimental effect on the workforce as a whole. All this impacts on the performance and ultimately the profit of your business.

As an employer you might think there is no problem with your staff becoming personally involved but you need to consider how that relationship may be perceived by other work colleagues and how will you deal with the aftermath if the relationship comes to an end. Have you considered the scenario where an employee applies for promotion and their partner is on the interviewing panel? Or where an employee’s appraisal, which is linked to their bonus or salary increase, is carried out by their partner? You need to ensure fairness and avoid allegations of favouritism or preferential treatment.

To avoid such situations many businesses have in place a “relationships at work” policy. This can include not only personal intimate relationship but close family relationships, thereby avoiding allegations of nepotism. Like any other policy in the workplace, the aim of having clear written policies and procedures in place is to avoid problems and to manage risk.

The policy should clearly set out whether in the first instance such relationships are permitted at work, and if so the standard of behaviour expected (no secret meetings in the stationery cupboard) and secondly what action will be taken by the employer if the employee fails to meet those standards or fails to continue to fulfil day-to-day duties as a result. Relationships with clients, customers and suppliers can also be included in the policy. Just imagine the impact on your business if these relationships turned sour. Also consider whether it is necessary to include in the policy a duty to disclose personal relationship, for example where a senior manager becomes involved with a junior member of staff or the manager on the interview board is the father of the candidate.

Remember as beautiful as those red roses seemed to be on Valentine’s day they also came with thorns. Make sure your business is prepared by having a policy in place in and that you are not reaching for the plaster (or cheque book) once you have been pricked by those thorns.

Gillian Markland is head of employment law at Ingrams Solicitors