How to manage romantic relationships in the workplace

When people spend more time with colleagues than family or friends, it is no surprise that romantic relationships may form at work. In one sense, this can be a sign of a healthy and productive workplace where people enjoy working together. In another, it can lead to conflicts of interest, favouritism or allegations of misconduct, especially when they involve people from different hierarchical positions.

While they can be tricky to navigate from a business perspective, office romances are not going anywhere. One survey states that 80 per cent of employees have experienced a workplace romance and 57 per cent of people would rather give up their job than end one.

“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.