Dating in the Workplace is not Ethical Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Dating in the Workplace is not Ethical - Essay Example The reason being that â€Å"he had an affair with a female employee† which was not in agreement with the company’s Code of Conduct. The practice of dating happens much often in the workplace setting. People meet each other and get interested in each others’ lives and hobbies, and finally develop relationships. Workplaces are the offline social networks as opposed to the online social networks. Men and women get into contact and start seeing each other. Workplace happens to be a convenient place to go find a suitable person because an employee might not have extra time to spend somewhere else looking for one. However, working in a company does not necessarily mean that one is going to find his soul mate; instead, one is supposed to work toward the establishment of organizational goals and must not jump into relationships because honesty is rare. â€Å"Don’t dip your pen in the company ink!†, is an old saying Gardner quotes in his article. Experts adv ise employees not to date because there are many ethical issues related to it. There are cons of workplace dating that outweigh the pros. But the bitter reality is that employees will not stop dating each other. Let us now discuss the ethical considerations that come with the issue of workplace dating. Ethical Considerations Dr. ... But he decided to make it more than a professional relationship.† This means that although it is perfectly normal to develop a professional relationship between men and women at the workplace, yet it is not suitable by any means to make the relationship personal. Many companies even follow a Code of Conduct that all employees must have to abide by, which prohibits them to date at the workplace. Siegel further asserts that coworker relationships are not that much of an issue as hierarchical relationships like between a boss and a subordinate. When such a relationship develops, it is time for one of the two to quit the job because they are many ethical considerations that are being disturbed. Mixing of sex and power is not at all favorable for the reputation and success of the company in the long run. Sexual Harassment Although workplaces are great places for people to meet and develop relationships, yet an increase in the number of sexual harassment lawsuits warns employees not to develop hasty relationships through dating (Covey and Narvell 130). There are strict penalties for sexual harassment at work and reputed companies do not bear such employees. A male employee may be charged as a sexual harasser if, for example, he has been in a relationship with a female co-employee and after a break-up, still goes after her to patch things up. The latter may file a lawsuit against him for sexual harassment. Also, in case of hierarchical-based relationships, when a boss dates his secretary, for example, then it is not at all necessary that the relationship is mutually consented because there is element of power in it which cannot be ignored. Law will tend to protect the subordinate rather than the boss if at any point in time the former one files a