Letters
No need to regulate workplace romance
Celebrity couple Geoffrey Lutaaya and Irene have been working together in a successful business for many years now
When I heard that the government was trying to separate married teachers from teaching in the same school, I wondered what was really wrong with married couples working in the same organization. Is the government trying to imply that marriage is a bad idea or are they simply trying to abuse our rights to marriage or dating?
With my working experience, I have noticed that organizations that restrict employees from engaging in workplace romance or marriage are the major culprits for instigating promiscuity among employees?
When they go ahead to set a policy of no workplace romance or marriage between employees, their major aim is to promote good performance and prevent employee distraction and hurdles that come with sexual relationships. But what do you think happens instead; employees go behind the organisation back and relate in casual relationships secretly.
When something comes out of these relationships such as pregnancy or infidelity there is always a party that is affected and because there is a policy that prohibits workplace romance, the culprits end up suffering privately because there is no law to protect them or save them. This not only leads to stress but it also creates the same distraction that the organisation was trying to prevent in the first place thus leading to poor performance.
With this, does the organisation achieve its objectives? The answer is no. It just ends up with employees who are stressed and when the truth comes out, there is no other alternative but to lay them off because that what’s the policy states.
To me, love is something that should not be denied. It is a feeling that comes naturally with people and in places we don’t expect. The best thing to do when it comes to love is to nurture it but notdeny it. Some of the best marriages recorded in time were a result of workplace romance. And if marriage is one of those institutions that are respected so much in society why then should we try to refute its foundations.
Yes, I know romance at the workplace can be a bit distracting due to the excitement it evokes with your partner closeby but there is a good relationship policy that an organization can set that can be benefitual to both the organization and employees. This policy requires employees to sign a consensual relationship agreement.
This agreement signed by both employees and the management provides that employees interested in each other or married will not allow the relationship to interfere or impact the work environment. The agreement also confirms and documents that the relationship is consensual and voluntary in order to prevent later charges of sexual harassment.
Many companies have adopted this policy and issues concerning sexual relationships and marriage are no problem. In case a problem develops between the couples, the company’s counseling committee handles such an issue by counseling the couple.
Otherwise, an organisation would be wasting its time if it thinks restricting workplace romance would prevent the problem of distraction and poor performance.
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