Conflict Resolution in Office Romance Essay

Conflict is inevitable. It is a normal way of life. How we as individuals perceive each other depends on our ability to effectively resolve problems and how we cope with managing change. Some of us are unable to adapt to change therefore, it is expected that conflict will occasionally occur. There are different types of conflict that occur in our daily lives as well as in the workplace. However, the topic I choose to discuss as part of this conflict resolution paper is office romance that causes conflict. As we all are aware office romance is very common today in our society. It is no secret that people often find love on the job. There is a level of comfort and closeness that we share with our subordinates that we sometimes tend to fall in love with them. Office romance is dependent on a number of factors. Office romance can have both positive and negative effects on the working environment as well as work performance. It can cause conflict in the workplace, especially if it is a supervisor-subordinate relationship. It can affect the productivity of employees and may lead to sexual harassment and other claims. It can make co-workers uncomfortable and it can be dangerous because it can lead to conflict within the organization. Accusations of favoritism may occur and it may hinder the work performance of the parties involved as well as the co-workers. After analyzing the office romance that took place within the organization and the impact on which it had on employees, the recommended course of action to resolve the actual conflict that will make a difference to the future performance of the organization is to educate the employees on the issue of office romance. Develop a policy that declares what managers expect when it comes to office romance. The parties that are involved give them options such as disclosing the relationship to their boss and deciding who will leave the job if it gets too tough to handle and the parties do not want to terminate the relationship. Explain to them the actions that management will take if they do not solve the issue themselves. Enforce the rules on sexual harassment and office romance. Although, management cannot prohibit office romance, there are steps that they can take to ensure that it does not become a problem in the workplace, thus hiring a consultant that will help solve the issue is a good idea.