Is there anything wrong with spouses/partners working together in organizations?

[MenInG]

The McD CEO has been sacked based upon his relationship with a member of staff.

In the Middle East it is quite common for spouses to work in same companies (probably not in same departments) but in the West its frowned upon.

Guess people can bring their home disputes to work which could effect work/efficiency but is that the right approach to take for companies?

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See:

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-50283720

McDonald's has fired its chief executive Steve Easterbrook after he had a relationship with an employee.

The US fast food giant said the relationship was consensual, but Mr Easterbrook had "violated company policy" and shown "poor judgement".

In an email to staff, the British businessman acknowledged the relationship and said it was a mistake.

"Given the values of the company, I agree with the board that it is time for me to move on," he said.

Mr Easterbrook, 52, who is divorced, first worked for McDonald's in 1993 as a manager in London before working his way up the company.

He left in 2011 to become boss of Pizza Express and then Asian food chain Wagamama, before returning to McDonald's in 2013, eventually becoming its head in the UK and northern Europe.

He was appointed chief executive of McDonald's in 2015.

Mr Easterbrook is widely credited with revitalising the firm's menus and restaurants, by remodelling stores and using better ingredients. The value of its shares more than doubled during his tenure in the US.

Under his leadership, McDonald's also expanded its delivery and mobile payment options to emphasise convenience.

Relationship risks
The fast food giant's board voted on Watford-born Mr Easterbrook's departure on Friday after a review. He has also stepped down as McDonald's president and member of the board.

The company's rules for managers prohibit them from becoming romantically involved with a subordinate.

Employment lawyer Ruby Dinsmore, of Slater and Gordon, said it is now common for firms to have either outright bans on relationships, or to have notification clauses requiring individuals to disclose them.

Potential conflicts of interest or litigation if a relationship turns sour were becoming a real risk for companies, she told the BBC.

"Some people may view this an an invasion of privacy," she said. "But businesses have their own interests to protect as well."

In the era of MeToo "companies are very keen to be seem not only to have a policy for this type of situation, but also to be seen to be enforcing it at all levels," she said.

McDonald's will release details of Mr Easterbrook's severance package on Monday, details of which will be closely watched.

The company has been criticised over the amount it pays shop staff, and Mr Easterbrook faced scrutiny for his $15.9m (£12.3m) pay packet in 2018. It was 2,124 times the median employee salary of $7,473.

He will be replaced by Chris Kempczinski, most recently president of McDonald's USA, with immediate effect.

In a statement, Mr Kempczinski thanked Mr Easterbrook for his contributions, adding: "Steve brought me into McDonald's and he was a patient and helpful mentor."

Last year Intel boss Brian Krzanich stepped down for having a consensual relationship with an Intel employee, which was against company rules.

He had been in the post since May 2013.

 

[JaDed]

Tbf they had this rule in advance.. and the rule is managers cannot be romantically involved with their subordinate and thats rule makes sense..

 

[Savak]

My uncle believes dating in the workplace especially if you are a manager and the girl is reporting to you or in a junior role is highly unethical. But this is life and things happen, if you are indeed romantically involved, professional and ethical practice states you have to inform HR and Senior Management so that they ensure that she is not reporting to you.

Dating experts advise against this because if the relationship doesn't work or goes south, then things will be super awkward at the work place and the work place will no longer be enjoyable. But many people date and eventually marry people at work so its not such a big deal as it is made out to be.

 

[MenInG]

Tbf they had this rule in advance.. and the rule is managers cannot be romantically involved with their subordinate and thats rule makes sense..

My uncle believes dating in the workplace especially if you are a manager and the girl is reporting to you or in a junior role is highly unethical. But this is life and things happen, if you are indeed romantically involved, professional and ethical practice states you have to inform HR and Senior Management so that they ensure that she is not reporting to you.

Dating experts advise against this because if the relationship doesn't work or goes south, then things will be super awkward at the work place and the work place will no longer be enjoyable. But many people date and eventually marry people at work so its not such a big deal as it is made out to be.

Pls add your votes to the poll.

 

[JaDed]

Pls add your votes to the poll.

I don’t see the polls in mobile edition..

 

[MenInG]

I don’t see the polls in mobile edition..

Use phone browser - I do that all day

 

[Nostalgic]

The McDonalds CEO example aside, spouses/partners already in a relationship should try not to find employment at the same company. If the company falters and there are layoffs, both could find themselves out of work.

As with stocks, diversification is a good idea.

 

[MenInG]

I for one would find it very odd if my wife worked in same organization!

 

[MenInG]

Lets have some more replies... interesting to see how Ppers feel about this.

 

[Itachi]

On papers, it shouldn't raise any issues but it does in reality. My boss and his wife was working together. While distributing works, he always gave the least amount of work that too in the least risks involved. She also gave opinions in the sensitive subjects which, given by our position in the department, others were unable to.

From personal experience, if one of the spouse is in higher position, then it will create conflicts whether justified or not.

 

[imrankhannsu]

If there is a choice then it should be avoided. The office is also a political environment and there is a possibility of things going messy

 

[Technics 1210]

#Metoo movement has changed working policy in the USA.

 

[MenInG]

Australian businessman Gary Lyon still thinks it was "bizarre" that he lost his senior management job for dating a junior colleague.

But it all turned out for the best in the end - he has been married to Tamra for 12 years and they have an 11-year-old daughter, Charlotte.

Now Mr Lyon and his wife have their own company in Brisbane and he says he would be perfectly happy if two of his employees fell in love.

"It wouldn't bother me in the slightest," he says, "as long as it didn't affect their work."

Mr Lyon contacted the BBC after reading that McDonald's had fired its chief executive Steve Easterbrook after he had a relationship with an employee.

The US fast food giant said the relationship was consensual, but Mr Easterbrook had "violated company policy" and shown "poor judgement".

The issue has shed light on the difficulties that staff can face if they find romance at work, especially if one is more senior than the other.

'Hammer dropped'
In Mr Lyon's case, he was an operations manager at a firm making doors and windows. He met the future Mrs Lyon when she joined his team as a project co-ordinator. After three or four months, they got together at an office function.

"I always liked her and she made it known that she liked me as well," he said. "It went from there."

At the time, he was 41 and she was 14 years younger. They initially kept the relationship secret, but eventually made it known that they were an item.

"You don't believe it's an issue for other people, but it transpires that it is, and you don't see why, because it doesn't impact your work," he says.

"You spend a lot of time with people at work, so you get to know them quite well."

After the couple had been seeing each other for about three months, he was called in and, as he puts it: "Then the hammer dropped."

He lost his job, but she kept hers. "She was pretty upset, but there's not much you can do. You've just got to keep going."

Gary and Tamra Lyon have an 11-year-old daughter, Charlotte
Mr Lyon says there was no clear workplace code in place about dating colleagues. He describes the decision as "very arbitrary" and says it represents "a very archaic view of the world".

"Should managers be banned from dating subordinates? Not if it is consensual," he says.

"You can't choose where you find love, so why penalise both parties by firing one of them?"

Human passions
According to various studies, between a quarter and a third of all long-term relationships start at work.

But of course, not all liaisons between co-workers are long-term. Some are flings, affairs, one-night stands - whatever you want to call them.

And a number of high-profile cases serve as a reminder of just how tricky life can get when human passions collide with corporate culture:

Chipmaker Intel's chief executive Brian Krzanich stepped down in June 2018 because he had contravened company rules by having a consensual relationship with an employee
The boss of travel booking website Priceline.com, Darren Huston, resigned in April 2016 after an investigation uncovered his relationship with an employee
But in October 2009, Aviva boss Andrew Moss kept his job despite admitting to a potentially compromising affair with an employee who was married to one of his senior executives. He eventually left the firm in May 2012.
At the same time, the sexual harassment allegations against disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein have made HR departments wary of any sexual activity between staff, especially in the US.

However, Ben Willmott, head of public policy at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, says only a minority of employers have specific stand-alone policies on relationships at work.

"Most employers tend to take a different approach," he says. "They will have policies on dignity and respect at work and preventing bullying and sexual harassment, setting out clear policies for dealing with complaints about inappropriate behaviour."

Mr Willmott points out that under the Human Rights Act in the UK, employees have a right to privacy and a family life, so firms need to strike a balance.

"If you have a very prescriptive approach, it can suggest that you don't trust your employees to act as adults in the workplace," he says.

Amorous advances
Of course, there is the potential for conflicts of interest if staff are not careful.

"If one of the parties in the relationship is responsible for the other's appraisals, pay reviews, promotion opportunities and even work allocation, then there is danger of favouritism and from team members, perceived bias," says Rebecca Thornley-Gibson, partner at City of London law firm DMH Stallard.

"There may also be issues where the more junior employee feels as though they cannot say no to amorous advances, and this creates a real risk of later sexual harassment claims against the manager and employer."

Stopping relationships is not likely to be practical for employers, she says, but having policies to minimise any fallout from the relationship should be considered.

"This will involve having in place and communicating workplace policies on conduct at work, equality and diversity policies with a clear zero-tolerance towards sexual harassment, and also requiring employees to declare relationships that are likely to result in a potential conflict."

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-50287158

 

[Birdman]

I don't think it's advisable to for Husband and wife to work in the same place.

from employer POV:
If there is a family emergency or function, employer will lose 2 employees instead of one.
If a manager remands one employee, now they have to deal with 2 disgruntled employees.
They can bring their family problem into work place which may affect productivity.
If there is a problem between employees the spouse will try to get involved making it worse to deal with.

From employee POV:
Save travel expense, may be able to get by with one vehicle.
Husband and wife who like to spend more time together will be happy.
Sometime too much of something can be bad, great thing about having a family is you are separated from them for a while and come home to the joy of reuniting.
You always have to watch how you interact with other employees and how your spouse will reach to it.
If there is a lay off then both will lose their job.

 

[MenInG]

I don't think it's advisable to for Husband and wife to work in the same place.

from employer POV:
If there is a family emergency or function, employer will lose 2 employees instead of one.
If a manager remands one employee, now they have to deal with 2 disgruntled employees.
They can bring their family problem into work place which may affect productivity.
If there is a problem between employees the spouse will try to get involved making it worse to deal with.

From employee POV:
Save travel expense, may be able to get by with one vehicle.
Husband and wife who like to spend more time together will be happy.
Sometime too much of something can be bad, great thing about having a family is you are separated from them for a while and come home to the joy of reuniting.
You always have to watch how you interact with other employees and how your spouse will reach to it.
If there is a lay off then both will lose their job.

Yes no messing around at work if your spouse is on the same floor at work!