Consensual Relationship Agreements
Consensual Relationship Agreement Case Study
Tracy Duckett
Dr. Ronnie Jones
Bus. 520 Leadership and Organizational Behavior
Fall Quarter 2012
Abstract
It is not uncommon that an office romance will develop between co-workers; based on the fact that majority of their lifetime is spent at their place of employment. Employers are aware of this possibility and have workplace romance policies to protect themselves and the parties in the relationship. Consensual Relationship Agreements (CRAs) are one of the policies that protect the company and the parties involved from the outcome of the relationship ending that could result into sexual harassment claims or bad publicity. There are pros and cons to having these policies and procedures for protection of employers and employees.
Consensual Relationship Agreements Case Study Eighty percent of an individual’s life is spent at their place of employment, sometimes even more. Usually they are in the presence of their co-workers at a minimum of 40 hours a week, learning, growing and building relationships. It is a strong possibility that one could turn into a romantic one. Hellriegel and Solcum (2011) stated that Valut.com, an online career center, surveyed 1000 professionals about having a romantic relationship with a co-worker, with the results of 19% would consider having one and 47% had been involved in one. The relationship may start out rosy but circumstances could change the dynamics between the two that could affect their work and the workplace environment. Employers must protect their businesses as well as maintain a productive, comfortable work environment as this “issue is not going away” (Hellriegel & Solcum, 2011). In order to protect themselves from possible claims of sexual harassment, disruptions in employee morale and conflict that can potentially result from a romantic relationship, employers may have employees sign a Consensual Relationship Agreement (CRA) once a relationship has
Tracy Duckett
Dr. Ronnie Jones
Bus. 520 Leadership and Organizational Behavior
Fall Quarter 2012
Abstract
It is not uncommon that an office romance will develop between co-workers; based on the fact that majority of their lifetime is spent at their place of employment. Employers are aware of this possibility and have workplace romance policies to protect themselves and the parties in the relationship. Consensual Relationship Agreements (CRAs) are one of the policies that protect the company and the parties involved from the outcome of the relationship ending that could result into sexual harassment claims or bad publicity. There are pros and cons to having these policies and procedures for protection of employers and employees.
Consensual Relationship Agreements Case Study Eighty percent of an individual’s life is spent at their place of employment, sometimes even more. Usually they are in the presence of their co-workers at a minimum of 40 hours a week, learning, growing and building relationships. It is a strong possibility that one could turn into a romantic one. Hellriegel and Solcum (2011) stated that Valut.com, an online career center, surveyed 1000 professionals about having a romantic relationship with a co-worker, with the results of 19% would consider having one and 47% had been involved in one. The relationship may start out rosy but circumstances could change the dynamics between the two that could affect their work and the workplace environment. Employers must protect their businesses as well as maintain a productive, comfortable work environment as this “issue is not going away” (Hellriegel & Solcum, 2011). In order to protect themselves from possible claims of sexual harassment, disruptions in employee morale and conflict that can potentially result from a romantic relationship, employers may have employees sign a Consensual Relationship Agreement (CRA) once a relationship has
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