A recent scandal involving a top aide in Boston’s City Hall has raised questions about the city’s policies regarding workplace romances.
An external investigation cleared the aide of misconduct, despite revelations that a mayoral cabinet chief had invited a lower-level employee, who was romantically involved with one of the chief’s subordinates, to a hotel for the night.
Mayor Michelle Wu has refrained from explicitly stating whether there is a formal prohibition on romantic relationships among city employees.
During an interview on GBH’s Boston Public Radio, the mayor discussed how the city navigates workplace relationships, emphasizing that the focus is primarily on conflict of interest situations involving supervisor-subordinate dynamics.
Wu highlighted that the ethics laws and conflict of interest regulations currently dictate the city’s handling of such relationships, rather than any explicit dating policy.
Statistics show that workplace romances are quite common in the U.S., with 52% of workers admitting to being in a romantic relationship with a colleague at some point in their careers.
Theresa Adams, an advisor with SHRM, pointed out that these relationships often stem from spending extensive hours together.
Interestingly, while one-third of the workers surveyed indicated their organizations have structured policies regarding workplace romances, a similar proportion described their company’s approach as flexible and handled on a case-by-case basis.
A smaller group reported that their employers take a hands-off approach, lacking a formal policy on the issue altogether.
Adams emphasized the importance of policies surrounding workplace romance as a means for businesses to mitigate risks associated with claims of harassment or favoritism.
Despite minimal regulation, only 5% of surveyed employees reported having strict policies that discourage or prohibit workplace romance completely.
Informal inquiries into policies across major U.S. cities suggest a similar trend, with many lacking clear guidelines on workplace relationships.
San Jose and New York City stand out as having more structured approaches to navigating romance among employees.
In San Jose, supervisors in a romantic relationship with a subordinate are required to notify higher-ups to prevent conflicts of interest.
New York City mandates that all employees disclose their romantic relationships to HR and may face disciplinary action for violating that policy.
Phoenix also follows suit, prohibiting managers from making employment decisions involving romantically involved subordinates while requiring disclosure of relationships.
In San Antonio, employees are barred from engaging in romantic relationships within their chain of command, with public displays of affection during work hours also deemed a violation.
Cambridge provides guidelines in its employee handbook, suggesting that employees involved in supervisor-subordinate relationships may face transfer.
Cities such as Charlotte, Denver, and San Diego have shown little inclination to formalize policies regarding workplace romance, leaning instead on existing conflict of interest regulations to manage any arising challenges.
Despite the recent scandal, the Boston mayor’s office has not publicly indicated a desire to reassess existing strategies regarding workplace dating.
Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn is one of the few voices advocating for a reevaluation of the city’s approach to employee romance.
As workplace dynamics continue to evolve, how Boston—and other cities—will address the issue of workplace romance remains a pressing question.
image source from：wgbh
