Romantic Relationships at Work: Why Love Can Hurt

Abstract

The academic community, practitioner literature and newspapers have all taken an interest in workplace romance. This paper aims to review the literature on workplace romance and to argue that the issue of power is key to understanding the negative consequences for individuals and organizations, linking workplace romance with theories or explanatory models of power. The paper first examines definitions of workplace romance, presents evidence of its prevalence, distinguishes between different types of workplace romance, and then looks at the main issues that managers and organizations face when considering the issue. The approaches taken by research in management, law, psychology and sociology are contrasted. The motivations for romance and the place of culture are described. Secrecy, gender differences and the negative and positive outcomes for men and women are discussed. The link between romance and harassment is explored. The paper looks at what organizations have done to manage romance. The research methods that have been used are reviewed, as are the gaps and weaknesses in order to make recommendations for future research. The review synthesizes accumulated knowledge in both research and practice, ending by identifying recommendations for managers.