An Examination of the Perceived Fairness of Workplace Romance Policies

Byline: Katherine A. Karl (1), Cynthia L. Sutton (1) Abstract: Fairness perceptions regarding several workplace romance policies (i.e., no action, counsel, verbal reprimand, written warning, transfer, terminate) applied to different types of couples (e.g., lateral vs. hierarchical) in a variety of situations (e.g., couple's performance improves vs. declines) were examined. We found the counsel policy was perceived more fair than any other policy. Stricter workplace romance policies (verbal reprimand, written warning, transfer) were perceived fair when the couple's performance declined or the romance was highly visible. Taking no action was perceived more fair than any other policy when the couple's performance improved. These results and others are discussed. Author Affiliation: (1) Indiana University South Bend, USA Article History: Registration Date: 30/09/2004