With Valentine’s Day around the corner, it’s a reminder that relationships form part of our everyday life. And for many people, the workplace is where they spend a large portion of their time. So, it’s only natural that friendships – and sometimes romantic relationships – develop between colleagues.
For employers, this can raise some important questions. How do you respect employees’ personal lives while protecting fairness, professionalism, and your wider workplace culture?
There’s no need to take a heavy-handed approach or implement rash rules. With clear expectations and the right support in place, organisations can create an environment where people feel respected, and, from an employer perspective, your business remains protected.
This article explores the importance of managing workplace relationships effectively with five practical steps to consider.
Workplace relationships are normal, but guidance and clarity matter
Most workplace relationships exist without issue. However, without clear boundaries, they can create challenges. These often arise not because of the relationship itself, but because of how it’s perceived or managed.
Concerns can emerge if colleagues believe someone is receiving preferential treatment, if personal relationships begin to influence professional decisions, or if those once-happy relationships suddenly turn sour.
Understanding the UK legal position
In the UK, there is no law preventing employees from having relationships with colleagues. Employees have a right to a private life, and employers must respect this.
However, employers also have a legal duty to maintain a safe, fair, and respectful workplace. This includes protecting employees from harassment, discrimination, and unfair treatment.
If a workplace relationship leads to allegations of favouritism, unwanted conduct, or unfair decision-making, problems can arise. Plus, if a relationship ends badly, there is also a risk of conflict, grievances, or claims of inappropriate behaviour.
This is why clear policies and consistent management are crucial.
Five HR tips for managing workplace relationships
1. Set clear expectations from the start of employment
Clarity is one of the most effective ways to prevent misunderstandings of any sort. Employees should understand what is expected of them when it comes to professional conduct, regardless of any personal relationships at work.
Most organisations include guidance within existing policies, such as dignity at work, equality and diversity, or conflicts of interest. While this can cover relationships to some extent, we would recommend introducing a specific policy to address workplace relationships more directly.
This provides the opportunity to outline your expectations around professional conduct and explain when employees should disclose relationships that could create a conflict of interest.
Along with providing clarity as early as possible, this enables you to take practical steps with confidence and direction – such as adjusting reporting lines where needed – to protect fairness and transparency.
2. Encourage openness and early disclosure
A culture of openness can help you manage potential risks before they escalate. Employees should feel comfortable disclosing workplace relationships where there could be a conflict of interest, particularly where there is a reporting line or influence over decisions.
Early disclosure allows HR and leadership teams to assess the situation calmly, ahead of any potential issues that cause business impact, and take proportionate steps where necessary.
As an employer, it’s down to you to shape a consciously open and trusting culture to enable this to happen.
3. Take extra care when relationships involve a manager and a junior employee
Relationships between managers and junior employees require particular attention.
Managers are responsible for making decisions that directly affect their team members’ careers, including performance reviews, pay increases, development opportunities, and promotions.
Where a personal relationship exists, it can become difficult to demonstrate that these decisions are completely objective. Even if no favouritism occurs, the perception of bias can still affect team morale and trust.
From an HR perspective, the priority is to maintain objectivity. This may involve adjusting reporting lines or ensuring the manager is not involved in decisions that directly affect their partner.
These steps are not about creating barriers or penalising team members, but about retaining the integrity and confidence in management decisions.
4. Ensure fairness in recruitment and decision-making
Conflicts of interest can also arise during recruitment, promotions, or internal opportunities. Employees should never be involved in decisions where they have a personal relationship with the individual concerned.
In addition, clear processes should be in place to ensure decisions remain objective and transparent. For example, a hiring manager recognising an applicant as their partner or family member should remove themselves from the interview panel to maintain the fairness of the process. This protects the organisation from risk while reinforcing trust and accountability.
When situations such as this do happen, consider keeping a record of any process changes or steps implemented that can prove action was taken to mitigate a conflict of interest.
5. Be prepared to manage challenges sensitively and professionally
It goes without saying that not all workplace relationships will have a fairytale ending. When some eventually do come to an end, tensions can rise. HR teams and managers play an important role in ensuring professionalism is maintained while supporting employees through difficult situations.
Early intervention and consistent application of policies can prevent issues from escalating. In some cases, practical adjustments – such as moving one individual into a new team – may be needed to protect colleague dynamics and overall workplace wellbeing.
It’s important that you make it clear from the get-go that, whatever happens following the disclosure of a workplace relationship, both parties are expected to continue working as professionally as they were before.
Being able to handle these situations with both empathy and professionalism can help you to maintain a positive working environment for everyone, enabling them to continue business as usual – whatever the relationship outcome.
HR policy support and management training for your organisation
At Omny Group, we have extensive experience supporting companies across all sectors in shaping and implementing people policies that are both compliant and protective, tailored to your culture. If it‘s manager coaching you’re after, our training experts have got you covered.