Dating in the Workplace

Even though as individuals and as a society we would like to be free to engage in possible romantic relationships with whomever we want, I believe it is morally acceptable for a company to adopt workplace dating / fraternization policies. The company has the right, no, the obligation, to provide a working environment that is free of the unnecessary distractions that a workplace romance might cause and an obligation to protect its own assets. Having said that, people are people and there are bound to be workplace romances. Companies must determine how they are going to deal with the situation when it arises. They must tread the line between being not only politically correct, but legally correct.
Most companies do not have rules against dating in the workplace. The general consensus appears to be as long as employees are not dating supervisors or subordinates, than it is deemed a viable relationship. The norm of not allowing dating between supervisors and subordinates is almost common sense. This is simply to ensure there is no perceived favoritism between the supervisor and the subordinate that could put the company in a position to be sued for sexual harassment or any type of discrimination lawsuit. A study has shown that 28 percent of workplace relationships may result in complaints of favoritism . Any perceived favoritism can cause serious workplace issues. These issues could be avoided by having a company policy that clearly outlines the details of workplace dating.
Some of the companies that do have policies against workplace dating do not have their policies clearly defined. The policy should state if it is acceptable to date colleagues that are in different departments or if a relationship does develop than one of the persons involved will be moved to another department. Whatever it may be, it needs to be clearly outlined in the company policy. Some of these companies have developed policies that have both parties involved sign an agreement that they