Regardless of what the HR policies declare about workplace dating policies, workplace romance is inevitable.
In almost every country around the world, people spend 8 to 15 hours in their workplace, which leaves them little time to go on a date and meet someone new besides their coworkers.
So, what is wrong with retail co-workers dating and being in a romantic relationship? Well, nothing if it is done right. However, there can be a few cons of being in a relationship with your colleague at your store. Perhaps we can also find solutions to mitigate the risks of being in love.
So, let’s discuss what the things that can go wrong are before you confess to your workplace crush.
Cons of Initiating Relationships in a Retail Workplace:
Office romance can be a wind of fresh air at times when you have a heavy workload. However, they can also go very wrong when it is not maintained properly. Let’s discuss how.
- Non-consensual Flirting and Proposals for Relationship
Although not everyone wants to be in a relationship at work, many people may think of it as a way to find a potential partner. However, a few people may take this opportunity to harass others.
If there is no robust policy about workplace dating culture, most of the women in the workplace face harassment of non-consensual flirting.
Since we are used to the misogynistic way of acting in the workplace, female workers may not even confess that they are being harassed. Relationship advances, and threats of sacking from the office, and many more unwanted occasions make the female workers’ lives a living hell.
There are certainly a few other ways how you can ask for permission from the man or lady you like at work. You can consult with an online dating coach about the proper and polite approaches to finding a partner. They can also counsel you on how you can find a suitable partner outside your office and go on to meet new people for dating purposes.
- Favouritism to the Partner:
When you are in a relationship at your workplace, and your partner is a superior, some signs show your coworker that you are in a relationship.
Suppose you are in love with your boss, and he or she shows favoritism to you by providing you with a bonus, a promotion, a smaller workload, and more time with the boss.
Many things can go wrong from here. Your coworkers will start to hate you. Moreover, there will be rage inside their hearts who are being mistreated. So, a good chance is that there will be violence in the workplace.
- Inappropriate Public Display of Affection:
Men and women who are in love tend to show their affection in front of others. However, it is surely not appropriate to show it in the workplace. When HR policies are not strong enough to control the work environment, it will be like losing your business to your competitors.
As a businessman, you need discipline in the workplace just as you need to know how to keep your high-street business safe. Your coworkers who are not happy about public displays of affection or actions like kissing, hugging, or giggling all the time in the office will surely cause chaos.
- Sexual Harassment Cases May Increase:
In most retail workplaces, people work both day and night shifts. The superiors may try to harass their subordinates when they do not agree to their propositions of being in a relationship or any physical attachment.
Other than that, if the consensual relationship turns sour, there are also chances that the ex-partners may try to hurt each other inside the office perimeter, either physically or mentally, by making false accusations to their superiors.
How to Create a Well-Planned HR Policy for Office Romance
The Human resource team is solely responsible for keeping the working environment safe for everyone. Therefore, they need to plan their policies skillfully.
Here, we have added a few recommendations from the experts:
- Build a strong HR policy that states how a couple who is in a relationship should behave in the workplace.
- There can be a meeting to decide whether the committee wants to allow relationships in the office. If everyone agrees, a notice can be provided that there will be no office romance or couples in the office.
- Couples need to declare their relationships loud and clear to everyone and should respect HR policy. It is better to leave their jobs (at least one of them) so that there are zero to no chances of their careers derailing.
- The HR policy may allow couples to stay together in a relationship at the same office if they act with professionalism and show no sign of public display of affection. They must also honor and respect the workplace environment with gratitude.
- When things go south, and your relationship with your partner is not going well, try not to hamper that in your career.
- Do not try to favor your partner in the office. Consider how your colleagues feel about the imbalance. If you are a superior in the office, always keep the peace by letting everyone treat you with their talents and performance at work.
Conclusion
Now you may realise the answer to the question: What is wrong with retail co-workers dating and being in a romantic relationship? There is nothing wrong with doing it right, maintaining the office HR policy, and paying respect to the working environment.
You may date if your authority allows you. Otherwise, it is always a wise decision for one of the couple to leave the job so that their career may stay unharmed.
Celebrate your love and share your happiness with the world where everyone agrees with your relationship. If someone is not happy about it and feels threatened about the judgement of the authority of favoritism, you should stay away from the politics so that your love life stays pure and simple.
