Developing your policy

And creating a supportive culture

Legal and privacy considerations

Before you consider creating your policy, it’s key you understand the legal landscape.

The Human Rights Act 1998 provides employees the right to privacy, which means employers must be cautious when managing relationships between colleagues. An outright ban on workplace relationships can be seen as infringing on an employee’s rights, so most employers prefer to develop policies that allow relationships while managing the associated risks.

Avoiding discrimination

HR must ensure that any actions taken (such as reassigning duties if a romantic relationship occurs) are done without discriminating based on sex, age, or sexual orientation. For example, moving one partner to a different department to avoid conflicts of interest should not be seen as disciplinary or unfair.

Data protection

When investigating workplace relationships, businesses need to ensure they are handling personal data responsibly. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) mandates that any personal information gathered should be relevant and not excessive for the purpose at hand.

Contracts and workplace agreements

It’s important to review employment contracts to see whether there are clauses relating to workplace relationships, particularly in the case of senior-level employees. Senior managers involved in romantic relationships with a member of their team can create risks of bias, and contracts may include non-disclosure or conduct clauses to manage this.

Developing a Workplace Relationships Policy

A clear and robust Workplace Relationships Policy helps mitigate the risks associated with personal relationships at work.

The policy should outline the company’s stance on relationships between employees and provide guidance on how to manage them professionally.

What should a Workplace Relationships Policy include?

1. Encourage employees to disclose relationships that may affect the workplace, particularly if one person reports to another. Transparency can help avoid potential conflicts of interest.

2. A code of conduct to set expectations for behaviour in the workplace. This includes maintaining professionalism, avoiding public displays of affection, and ensuring that personal relationships do not interfere with work responsibilities.

3. Managers should receive specific training on handling workplace relationships. This includes identifying potential conflicts of interest and addressing any concerns from other team members without bias.

4. Ensure employees know that any information they share about workplace relationships will be kept confidential, and that any action taken by HR will be done respectfully and fairly.

Training your employees

Having a well-defined relationships policy is the essential first step to creating a respectful and inclusive work environment, but it can’t function effectively in isolation.

It’s crucial to provide comprehensive training to your employees, ensuring that everyone understands the policy, their responsibilities, and how to navigate workplace relationships appropriately. Here’s how you can train your team.

1. Train your managers & supervisors

While the relationships policy applies to all staff, managers and supervisors play a key role in enforcing it. They need tailored training to help them recognise and address any issues that might arise between colleagues involved in workplace relationships. This includes:

Knowing when and how to intervene if a personal relationship starts to affect team dynamics or performance.
Understanding their responsibilities in maintaining a professional and respectful environment, while adhering to the principles of dignity and inclusion.
Handling complaints or conflicts arising from workplace relationships, whether it’s between peers or involving those in positions of power.

Training your employees

2. Leadership training – setting the cultural tone

Senior leaders play a significant role in shaping organisational culture, and the way they handle workplace relationships can set the tone for the entire business.

Leadership training should include:

Embedding and living out the behaviours of respect, dignity, and inclusion that underpin the company's values.
Being aware of the power dynamics in relationships, especially where a hierarchy is involved, and ensuring that any conflicts or issues are dealt with fairly and transparently.

Training your employees

3. Regular training for all employees

Ongoing training is essential for staff at all levels to fully understand their role in fostering a respectful work environment. This helps to:

Clarify what constitutes appropriate behaviour and what might be deemed as bullying, harassment, or even favouritism in relation to workplace relationships.
Ensure everyone is aware of the boundaries and how their actions, even if unintended, can impact team cohesion or company culture.
Promote open dialogue so employees feel comfortable discussing any concerns or reporting any inappropriate behaviour.

4. Monitor, review, and update

The final component of a successful relationships policy is ensuring that it remains effective and relevant. To achieve this:

Regularly monitor how the policy is being applied across the business. Are managers intervening when necessary? Are any problems being reported?
Review the policy periodically to ensure it's still fit for purpose. Workplace dynamics and attitudes change over time, and it’s crucial that your policy reflects current expectations around relationships at work.
Provide refresher training to keep the content fresh and ensure everyone’s understanding of the policy remains up-to-date.

By investing in thorough and continuous training, your employees will be equipped with the knowledge and tools to navigate workplace relationships with professionalism, ensuring the policy is embedded into the very fabric of your organisational culture.

Creating a supportive culture

While policies are important, fostering a workplace culture where employees feel respected and supported is equally critical.

Employees need to feel that they can have personal relationships without fear of discrimination or bias, while also understanding the need for professional boundaries.

1. Offer regular training to managers and employees on topics like unconscious bias, sexual harassment, and data privacy. These sessions can help employees understand the broader implications of workplace relationships and how to maintain a professional environment.

2. Encourage employees to come forward if they feel uncomfortable with a workplace relationship, whether it involves them directly or indirectly. By creating an open-door policy, HR can address concerns early before they escalate into larger issues.

Encouraging transparency and openness

Policy tip: Make sure your workplace relationships policy clearly outlines when and how relationships should be disclosed, and ensure that employees understand the process.

One of the biggest challenges with workplace relationships is when they are kept secret. Transparency is key to preventing problems and managing workplace dynamics.

Respecting privacy

While transparency is important, so is privacy. HR professionals need to handle workplace relationships delicately, ensuring that employees feel comfortable disclosing relationships without feeling that their privacy is being invaded.

Creating an open environment

Employers should encourage transparency about workplace relationships, particularly those that could lead to conflicts of interest. This doesn't mean requiring employees to disclose every detail of their personal lives, but it does mean setting expectations for when a relationship should be disclosed – for example, if one person is in a position of authority over the other.

Resources and support

Employees involved in workplace relationships, whether romantic or personal, should have access to resources and support. Offering support can help employees navigate these relationships professionally.

Wellbeing
programmes

In addition to EAPs, businesses should offer comprehensive wellbeing programmes that address mental health, stress management, and work-life balance. These programmes can help employees maintain a healthy balance between their personal and professional lives.

Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs)

EAPs can offer confidential counselling and support to employees who are struggling with relationship issues, whether personal or professional. Providing access to these resources can help employees manage stress and maintain productivity.