Rethinking the Nexus between Workplace Romance and Conflict-of-Interest in a Public University

Abstract

Workplace romance is not a new subject, seeing it from a relationship between two or more colleagues serving in the same organisation that is professed by others to be considered a sexually-motivated lure. Workplace romance generates from increased interactions between co-workers on a daily basis at the workplace, on social media channels like WhatsApp groups, email, and Facebook. Workplace Romances deal with issues originating from hierarchical relationships, including sexual harassment like bad touches, inappropriate eye contact, inappropriate body gestures, favouritism and discrimination based on gender, colour, body size, and age, which further impacts job productivity and morale. We adopted a systematic review of the literature on the subject. Our review suggests that to manage conflicts of interest resulting from workplace romance, universities should take several steps, including developing policies, providing training, counselling, and monitoring workplace relationships. University employees and managers who fail to manage their romantic behaviours when at work should be subjected to coercion, counselling, or separation from the university. From this analysis, it has been revealed that University policy on workplace romance may take either the laissez-faire stance or the hybrid stance. The link between workplace romance and conflict of interest presents a complex challenge for university managers and employees. It is important for universities to respect employees engaging in consensual relationships while addressing the potential risks associated with such scenarios. Universities, be they public or private, should develop clear guidelines to guide workplace relationships, aware that they are dealing with adults.