It's naive to expect sexual relationships won't start at work. Photo: Angela Wylie
In the premiere episode of Mad Men, it's Peggy's first day on the job and so her new mentor Joan is taking her on the obligatory office tour. "If you follow my lead," counsels Joan, "you can avoid some of the mistakes I've made here … like that one", referring to a colleague walking past. She then sends Peggy to a gynaecologist since it won't be long before she, too, needs contraceptive pills.
Later that day, with her prescription filled, Peggy makes a move on her manager. "I'm your boss, not your boyfriend," he states, promptly rejecting her. Peggy, clearly overcome, tries to save herself: "I hope you don't think I'm that kind of girl." Well, actually, she is that kind of girl because later that night she sleeps with her co-worker, who also happens to be getting married that weekend.
I hope you don't think I'm that kind of girl.
But what if, similarly, you are that kind of girl? Or that kind of guy? How do you then manage sexual relationships at work? It certainly takes a formidable capacity for bravery since these carnal couplings are often the fountain from which gossip and innuendo are lapped up by insatiable colleagues.
In a sense, these sexual relationships are unavoidable. Most people spend more time with team mates than they do with friends and relatives. It's to be expected a certain proportion will give in to their inner animal instinct by engaging in workplace dalliances, and not because of the romantic potential but simply because it's, well, fun. If not awkward sometimes. And, depending on how it's managed, occasionally a source of embarrassment.
These consequences are what inspired a global team of researchers, led by the University of Technology in Sydney (where I teach), to identify the ways in which organisations respond to these inevitable sexual encounters. Even though they might not occur at work, the workplace is nonetheless the, um, breeding ground where it all begins.
The findings, published two months ago in the Journal of Management Inquiry, categorise organisations into four different groupings.
The first is referred to in academic lingo as 'institutionally rationalised' – in other words, ignorance and avoidance. Leaders in these organisations promote a non-emotional workplace. But even though they demand employees act formally, they're still aware indiscretion will happen, which is fine so long as they don't know about it. When they find out, however, they usually ignore it or cover it up.
The second type of organisation takes things seriously. Very seriously. It's known as 'legalistically rationalised', and it's characterised by leaders who love anti-love policies. For example, they'll get employees to sign non-fraternisation agreements or they'll demand people declare their romantic liaisons as a way of avoiding conflicts of interest. In effect, they see greater risk than reward out of such pairings, and so they impose rules they actively police.
The tongue-twisting third category is called 'normatively pluralistic'. These organisations are a little more relaxed. They're OK with love but not sex. And by 'love' they mean celibate love because what they encourage is a brotherly and sisterly type of connection where you feel genuine love (or something very close to it) for your colleagues and managers. Such affection and cohesiveness is believed by many to result in greater work performance.
Finally, we have the fourth category, the most liberal one, dubbed 'normatively eroticised'. These organisations know people are sexual beings and so, naturally, they accept sexual attraction is unstoppable at work. As long as it doesn't cross the line into harassment, they have no issue with the workplace being the location at which relationships of a flirtatious nature flourish. They assume their workers are smart enough to navigate this delicate terrain.
And yet, as the scholars note, sexual relations "are still an uninvited guest" in many organisations. But they're a guest that won't be easily evicted.
In which category does your organisation belong? Have you ever had a sexual relationship with a colleague?
Follow James Adonis on Twitter: @jamesadonis
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