From desk mates to soul mates: your guide to office relationships

In the realm of modern HR, where traditional norms are being redefined, and workplace dynamics continue to evolve, the question of office relationships often emerges. People tend to sit in two camps, you’ll find those who think it’s a sackable offence (look at the recent dramas at McDonalds HQ) and those who frankly don’t care… as long as it doesn’t affect them.

For business owners and HR teams, it might be easier to just slap a “no relationships” clause into contracts. In reality, we’re not convinced the answer is to sack two people for fancying each other. (As long as they aren’t fancying each other in the office…if you get what we mean 🫣)

After years of working with businesses where office relationships have blossomed into marriages… or crashed into heartbreak, we’re all for adopting a common sense approach that can help strike the balance between personal lives and professional boundaries. In essence that’s what it’s all about, making sure nobody oversteps those important boundaries.

First and foremost, we’ve got to acknowledge that we're living through a change in leadership style, the emergence of the millennial CEO is coming with a much more relaxed approach to people management. Equally, we’re seeing that employees are generally less bothered by these things, as long as it doesn’t negatively impact them. From what we’ve seen, office relationships are not inherently bad, they can lead to increased collaboration, stronger team dynamics, and improved communication.

It’s only natural that spending a significant portion of our lives at work might lead to connections beyond the office walls.

However, there's a caveat to this perspective. When Cupid's arrow strikes in the office, and someone finds themselves romantically entangled with their manager, we’d say it's time for a candid conversation asap. It's important to avoid any accusations of favouritism, so put things in place to make sure promotions, bonuses and professional opportunities remain unaffected by personal relationships.

Romantic relationships, much like work friendships, are not immune to ups and downs. But…when office romances turn into heartbreak it's really important that you handle the situation with care and respect. A breakup shouldn’t result in a hostile atmosphere or the uncomfortable airing of personal grievances in the office corridors.

Adopt a compassionate approach, offering support to both parties involved, while keeping the focus on maintaining a positive workplace atmosphere. You can apply your normal conduct policies if it gets out of hand, just remember to apply it to both individuals.

Keep an eye on that gossipy grapevine. Whilst kitchen conversations are hard to avoid, you can get ahead of any gossipy issues by setting clear expectations for respectful behavior and open communication. Lead by example and this should do the trick.

How we see it, above all, we are dealing with human beings. People who are complex, emotional, and prone to forming connections. Office relationships, whether they lead to lasting partnerships or amicable separations, are going to happen no matter what your contracts say. So, while work is indeed for work, the acknowledgment that love and relationships are an integral part of life adds authenticity to your business and shows that you are human too.

A sprinkle of empathy and a dash of common sense can go a long way in ensuring that love and work coexist harmoniously, and who knows, you might get an invite to the wedding.