Single people often wind up dating someone in their workplace. It’s one of the easiest, most natural places to meet someone. Similar to the way that school filled this role at a younger age, the workplace also gives you a chance to see someone every day and get to know them before you start dating.
In fact, one study found that a full 57 percent of those who were asked had experienced workplace romances. That makes this the norm for most workers in the United States.
That said, about 42 percent of companies in another study claimed they enforced romance policies at work. In a striking 99 percent of cases, these policies said that supervisors and workers under them could not date or engage in romantic relationships with one another. Over the past decade-and-a-half, the percentage of policies that mandate this has increased significantly.
Why is this? Firstly, it is to avoid negative tension in the workplace. Dating in the workplace tends to make things complicated and often ends up badly. There are already so many different websites that people could use for dating (read about double list and others to see an example), so it shouldn’t be a problem to avoid work relationships. But also in part, it’s intended to prevent sexual harassment. It is too easy for someone who is in a position of power to use that power to manipulate someone into a relationship. The worker may feel uncomfortable turning down a supervisor for a date or may not know how to end the relationship if they want to. Supervisors could also use the relationship to harass a worker and then claim it was mutual when it was not.
It is clear that many United States companies take this type of thing seriously, but it does still happen. If you are a victim, you need to know exactly what steps to take and what rights you have.
