INTHEBLACK November 2025 - Magazine - Page 55
“Most people know someone who has
formed a romantic relationship at work,”
says Jodie Fox, employment lawyer and
director of Worklogic. “The reality is that
they occur, and employers should be
concentrating on managing relationships
rather than saying that they’re not allowed.”
Office romances are an inevitable part
of working life, and organisations must find
ways to manage the risks while respecting
personal relationships. Individuals also have
a responsibility to handle these situations
with professionalism and care.
ACT PROFESSIONALLY
Professional behaviour is a critical aspect
of workplace conduct, particularly when
navigating the complexities of romantic
relationships and potential conflicts of
interest. For individuals who find themselves
in a workplace relationship, the best place
to start is with HR.
“Informal notification to HR can be a
starting point, formalising it if the
relationship becomes serious — and there
must be strict confidentiality processes
around these notifications,” Fox says.
For accountants, professional behaviour
is underpinned by obligations in the APES 110
Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants,
advises Belinda Zohrab-McConnell, regulation
and professional standards lead at
CPA Australia.
“Even well-balanced and healthy
relationships can result in inappropriate
behaviour, especially regarding professional
confidentiality. The challenge lies in
inadvertently blurring the line between
personal and professional roles,”
Zohrab-McConnell says.
“You’ve got to think — am I talking to the
person as my loved one or as my colleague?
And if I’m talking to them as my colleague, is
this conversation appropriate?”
PROVIDE POLICIES AND GUIDELINES
From a business perspective, first and
foremost, “there needs to be an obligation
on employees to notify people within the
business, so that the relationship can be
managed from a risk perspective,” says Fox.
Louise Betts, HR consultant at LiquidHR,
recommends being prepared before
the event occurs. Where many employers
go wrong, she advises, is assuming their
general conflict-of-interest policies will
be sufficient. In reality, these policies
typically focus on outward-looking business
relationships rather than internal
interpersonal ones.
“Businesses should implement a specific
policy to address workplace relationships,”
says Betts. “These policies act as guidelines,
defining acceptable behaviour and
boundaries. It makes it much easier to
manage situations and ensure fairness.”
Such policies should provide examples
of appropriate behaviour, such as not sharing
excessive personal details or engaging in
public displays of affection in the workspace.
“They should also clarify that while asking
someone out once is acceptable, persistent
approaches for dates and not taking ‘no’
for an answer constitute sexual harassment,”
says Betts.
MANAGE RISK
Sexual harassment is a significant risk that
employers must actively manage, particularly
in respect to workplace relationships.
“In Australia, the legal landscape has
changed and employers have to be much more
proactive about identifying risks before they
turn into complaints of sexual harassment,”
Fox says.
This reflects the positive duty imposed
on employers under the Australian Sex
Discrimination Act, introduced in December
2022. It legally requires organisations to take
proactive and meaningful action to prevent
sex-based harassment and discrimination,
not just respond after incidents arise.
Further difficulties can occur in workplace
relationships where there is an imbalance
of power, such as a manager–direct report
relationship, or where one employee is
responsible for the performance or
remuneration of the other.
“If a manager–direct report relationship
becomes romantic, altering reporting lines
or adding extra approval steps for things
like leave or bonuses can help businesses
prevent accusations of misused power,”
says Betts.
At the end of the day, while there are
challenges to navigate with office romances,
research shows that healthy relationships
formed at work can enhance job satisfaction,
improve productivity and help with work–life
balance. In addition, one quarter of people
interviewed in the survey reported they had,
in fact, met their spouse at work. ■
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