The great dating at work debate

A new report suggests that while office relationships can help kick-star a career, relationships can also turn out to be repressive and hinder careers from flourishing.

According to researchers at Carnegie Training, while a large proportion of workers have had amorous relations with colleagues, the involvement of office rivals or a boss can be detrimental, and see the relationship turning sour.

Peter Handel, one of the researchers behind the study, explained to the BBC that "there is always a danger of exploitation."  He says the real problem comes in when one person has power over another.

Handel, trains personnel departments in 75 countries on how to deal with such a sensitive and difficult subject. "There are two real issues we have to contend with here," he explains. "How can one be sure that the relationship is consensual, without any subtle or direct coercion, and is there a conflict of interest."

A matter of politics

Of course, office politics are an issue that are mostly dealt with on an company-by-company basis, with no specific rules applying across the board. While some companies may impose a complete ban on liaisons between co-workers, for instance, other companies may choose to turn a blind eye.

Handel believes that a complete ban can be counter-productive, though he does admit that relationships can cause a problem that may interfere with the smooth running of an organization. As he explains, "If a co-worker is sleeping with the boss, how do you know if that person is not getting better pay rises and better assignments?"

Many companies will move one of the participants elsewhere, but that can create further problems of a different kind. For instance, if you move a junior partner, it may not be very fair, but if you move a senior partner, you may lose a good leader.

Handel's advice? Well, conventional wisdom suggest that relationships with colleagues should to be deplored - and if it is with the boss, then you should run a mile.

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