Office romances are often the subject of movies and TV shows, and for good reason: They do happen in real life. Much like high school or college students tend to date other people from their schools, single workers may wind up dating each other just because they spend so much time together. It feels like it can happen naturally.
But these relationships, which are sometimes prohibited by company policies, are filled with potential issues. Some experts say that there is almost never a situation in which it is a wise move to date your boss. One expert in Business Insider warns that, among other issues, it can lead to “potential ethical violations, and the unintended and negative consequences that might happen if the relationship heads south.”
For instance, what if your boss asks you out, you agree, and the two of you spend three months dating? You decide it’s not for you and you kindly end things. Your boss doesn’t take it well and fires you.
One issue that many workers face, though, is the question of unethical behavior by a spurned boss, even if they never date. What if your boss simply asks you to go on a date and you refuse, saying that you never want to date people who are higher up the corporate ladder? You’re trying to avoid a complicated situation, but then your boss fires you anyway. You think that it was because you turned down the date.
Unfortunately, workers do face these types of issues in the modern workplace, and they need to make sure they understand their legal rights.
