辦公室戀情到底關(guān)不關(guān)老板的事
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????親愛的安妮：今年秋年，我就要進入大學(xué)四年級，最近在一家大型金融服務(wù)類公司開始暑期實習(xí)?？晌以谶@里經(jīng)歷了一件奇怪的事情。一名人力資源部門經(jīng)理把我叫進她的辦公室，然后給我一份文件讓我簽字，上面寫著（還有其他內(nèi)容）我和男朋友的關(guān)系是“自愿的”。 ????我選擇這份實習(xí)工作的首要原因就是因為，我男朋友（去年畢業(yè)）現(xiàn)在正在這里工作。我們認(rèn)為，兩個人能在同一家公司過這個夏天簡直太棒了，雖然我們在不同的部門。但我們是情侶關(guān)系關(guān)公司什么事？簽這樣的協(xié)議讓我感覺受到了干擾。您怎么看？ ——華爾街的疑惑者 ????親愛的疑惑者：人力資源部竟然沒有向你解釋這件事，這令我有點意外，不過公司的做法是在避免可能發(fā)生的性騷擾訴訟。你所簽署的文件有時候被稱作“丘比特協(xié)議”或“愛情協(xié)議”，其中肯定清楚說明了公司有關(guān)性騷擾的政策，包括當(dāng)你們的戀愛關(guān)系出現(xiàn)問題，或者比如你男朋友開始在工作中騷擾你或威脅讓你被炒魷魚時，你可以向誰求助。（我知道你肯定認(rèn)為這樣的事情是不可能發(fā)生的，但現(xiàn)實中的確發(fā)生過此類事件。） ????公司要求你書面確認(rèn)你與男朋友的關(guān)系純屬自愿，這樣一來，如果日后你試圖以自己受到脅迫或恫嚇才接受男朋友的求愛為理由提出訴訟，公司可以有辯護的證據(jù)。不過，瑪麗?坎貝爾認(rèn)為：“‘丘比特協(xié)議’很大程度上也是對你自身的保護。這份協(xié)議應(yīng)該向你說明，如果戀愛關(guān)系出現(xiàn)糟糕的結(jié)局，并不會影響你在工作中的位置，你有權(quán)讓管理層注意到關(guān)系結(jié)束所帶來的任何影響——比如男朋友的報復(fù)等。”坎貝爾是華盛頓特區(qū)Shulman, Rogers, Gandal, Pordy & Ecker律師事務(wù)所的聯(lián)席主席，該律所主要辦理雇傭法案件。 ????對于像你這樣的年輕人來說，關(guān)于合同和訴訟的話題可能會讓你們感到震驚，因為你們或許不記得上世紀(jì)90年代一大批備受關(guān)注的性騷擾案——更不用說最近的一些案件，比如2011年，陪審團判定，瑞銀金融服務(wù)公司（UBS Financial Services）需向一名受到上司性騷擾的堪薩斯城員工賠償1,060萬美元。 ????事實上，工作生活與福利咨詢公司W(wǎng)orkplace Options最新進行的調(diào)查顯示，天真的千禧一代全然不知辦公室里的兩性關(guān)系會變得多么污穢和骯臟。18至29歲的年輕人中，有84%表示他們會與同事約會，而30至45歲的X一代為36%，嬰兒潮一代（45至65歲）則僅有29%。報告還顯示，約有四分之三（71%）的千禧一代認(rèn)為“辦公室戀情會產(chǎn)生積極的影響，比如提升工作表現(xiàn)，鼓舞士氣等?！?/p> |
????Dear Annie: I will be a senior in the fall and just started a summer internship at a major financial services company, and something has come up that seems strange to me. A manager in the human resources department called me into her office and gave me a document to sign that said (among other things) that my relationship with my boyfriend is "voluntary." ????One reason I chose this internship in the first place is because my boyfriend, who graduated last year, works here now, and we thought it would be great to spend the summer at the same firm, although we are in different departments. But why is the fact that we're a couple any of the company's business? Having to sign this agreement (which my boyfriend also signed) seems kind of intrusive, doesn't it? What do you think? -- Wondering on Wall Street ????Dear Wondering: I'm a little surprised that the HR person didn't explain this to you, but what the company is doing is trying to prevent a potential sexual harassment lawsuit. The document you signed -- sometimes called a "cupid contract" or a "love agreement" -- probably spells out the firm's policy on sexual harassment, including to whom you can turn for help if your romance goes sour and your boyfriend starts, for instance, stalking you at work or threatening to get you fired. (I know, that probably strikes you as wildly unlikely, but it's been known to happen.) ????Asking you to confirm in writing that the relationship is voluntary gives the company a defense later on if you try to sue on the grounds that you were coerced or intimidated into accepting your boyfriend's amorous advances. "But a 'cupid contract' is partly for your own protection as well," notes Merry Campbell, co-chair of the employment law practice at Shulman, Rogers, Gandal, Pordy & Ecker in Washington, D.C. "The agreement should indicate to you that, if the romance ends badly, it won't affect your position at work, and you have the right to bring any repercussions -- for example, retaliation on your boyfriend's part -- to management's attention." ????All this talk of contracts and lawsuits might come as a shock to anyone too young to remember a rash of high-profile sexual harassment suits in the '90s -- not to mention a few more recent ones, like the 2011 case where a jury awarded $10.6 million to a Kansas City employee of UBS Financial Services whose supervisor had harassed her. ????In fact, a new poll by work-life and benefits consultants Workplace Options suggests the millennial generation is blissfully unaware of how messy, and how nasty, sex in the office can get. Consider: 84% of 18-to-29-year-olds say they'd date a coworker, versus 36% of Gen Xers (ages 30 to 45) and only 29% of Boomers (45-65). Almost three-quarters of millennials (71%) "see a workplace romance as having positive effects such as improved performance and morale," the report adds. |
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