– 41% of employees have engaged in intimate coworker relationships, yet less than 5% confide in HR – even if company policy requires formal disclosure
NEW YORK, — Namely, the leading HR platform for mid-sized companies, today shared the results of its Love @ Work Survey. The survey set out to understand how employees really feel about dating coworkers—and what role they believe HR should play in creating and enforcing dating policies. Amidst the global conversation around workplace harassment, it’s more important than ever to acknowledge the frequency of these relationships and for HR to become a trusted resource for employees.
Additional survey insights include:
“With the average workweek rounding out to over 47 hours, work has become such a big part of our lives. It’s no surprise that workplace relationships are so common,” says Julie Li, Senior Director of People Operations at Namely. “As HR, supporting employees is not just about having a policy in place. HR should be an accessible and trusted resource for all employees, particularly in cases when love at work has a negative impact.”
Where does HR fit in? Employees were quite mixed on how HR should respond to a manager dating a direct report, for example. 34% opted to transfer the manager to a new department or location, and 29% opted to transfer the direct report. Some opted for terminations, while 21% said “do nothing.”
When it comes to dating at work, every situation is unique. Leesa Schipani, SHRM-SCP and HR consultant, has a personal take. “While I don’t advocate legislating ‘love,’ I believe companies can put guardrails in place to minimize risk and acknowledge that people who spend significant time together at work could become romantically involved. This even happens to HR professionals —I am one of them who met her husband at work.”
About Namely
Namely is the first HR platform that employees actually love to use. Namely’s powerful, easy-to-use technology allows companies to handle all of their HR, payroll, time management, and benefits in one place. Coupled with dedicated account support, every Namely client gets the software and service they need to deliver great HR and a strong, engaged company culture. Namely is used by over 1,000 clients with over 175,000 employees globally. Headquartered in New York City, the company has raised $157.8 MM from leading investors, including Altimeter Capital, Scale Capital, Sequoia Capital, Matrix Partners, and True Ventures. For more information, visit www.Namely.com.