Case Study

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Week 2 Ethical Dilemma Project – Topic Selection

Student Name

ETHC232

Instructor

13, September 2020

Dating in the Workplace

Can dating in the workplace be an ethical dilemma? Dating and other interpersonal relationships within the workplace has been known to create a number of problems both in and outside of the company space(Mintz, 2017). It can cause problems with employee morale, create perceptions of favoritism, have negative impacts on productivity, and even introduce needless complexity in customer relations(Mintz, 2017). Research indicates that it is becoming more commonplace with the younger generations though, and many millennials see the added complexity of interpersonal relationships in the workplace as having positive effects(Mintz, 2019).

Many companies have policies specifically in place to avoid dating and other fraternization in the workplace(Magloff, n.d.). Has the workplace changed between generations to result in greater acceptance of this by the younger millennial generation? Are these policies still relevant in todays evolving workplace? Is it the company’s prerogative to prevents such socialization? Should employees be held accountable when ethical concerns arise from their fraternization?

In this paper we will examine the ethical issues posed by dating and other fraternization in the workplace. We will explain how these issues can impact both the company and the employees involved and discuss the ethical and legal responsibilities implied. We will also be providing a real life example from personal experience that will demonstrate the possibility of this ethical dilemma being handled well and ending successfully.

References

Mintz, S. (2017, January 23). A Word of Advice for Millennials About Dating in the Wrokplace. Stevenmintzethics. https://www.stevenmintzethics.com/single-post/2017/01/23/A-Word-of-Advice-for-Millennials-About-Dating-in-the-Workplace#:%7E:text=While%20dating%20in%20the%20workplace,an%20employee%20of%20lower%20rank.&text=Employee%20morale%20may%20be%20compromised,relationship%20may%20negatively%20affect%20productivity.

Mintz, S. (2019, July 3). The Ethics of Dating in the Workplace. Workplace Ethics Advice. https://www.workplaceethicsadvice.com/2019/07/the-ethics-of-dating-in-the-workplace.html

Magloff, L. (n.d.). Policies About Workplace Dating. Houston Chronicle. Retrieved September 13, 2020, from https://smallbusiness.chron.com/policies-workplace-dating-2630.html