mixing pleasure with work: employee perceptions of and responses to workplace romance
DESCRIPTION
This study examined organizational members‘ perceptions of andresponses to workplace romance. In this 2 x 4 experimental design, 212working adults reported their beliefs and communication-relatedresponses to a hypothetical male or female co-worker dating anorganizational peer, superior, subordinate, or individual unaffiliatedwith the organization. Employees perceived peers dating superiors tobe more driven by job motives, less driven by love motives, and morelikely to receive unfair advantages due to their romance than peersdating individuals of other status types. Employees also reported ahigher likelihood of engaging in information manipulation with andreported less trust in peers dating superiors than peers with romanticpartners of other status types. Finally, job and love motives,perceptions of peers enjoying unfair advantages due to their romance,and peer trust mediated the relationships between the status of theorganizational peer‘s partner and co-workers‘ self-disclosure anddeception with the peer.TRANSCRIPT
Colleen C. MalachowskiRebecca M. Chory
Christopher J. Claus
West Virginia University
Workplace Romance (WR)
“a relationship between two members of the same organization that is perceived by a third party to be characterized by sexual attraction” (Quinn, 1977)
Past Research: Horan & Chory 3rd party perceptions of heterosexual & homosexual WR
co-workers dating superiors vs. peers… Less interpersonal solidarity Trusted less More information manipulation Less credibility
future research Fairness WR motives Other partner status types
Research Design IVs (2 X 4 experimental design)
Sex of co-worker male, female
Status of co-worker’s WR partner superior, peer, subordinate, outsider
DVs 3 rd party perceptions of a hypothetical co-worker in a WR
WR motives Unfair advantages
3 rd party responses to a hypothetical co-worker in a WR Trust Information Manipulation
Method Heterosexual WR Scenario: “Think of the organization you
currently work in. [X] is at the same job level you are—(s)he is not your superior nor your subordinate. Imagine that you recently learned that [X] is dating your [peer/superior/subordinate/ outsider] named [X].”
212 working adults Recruited through students Online
Results: WR MotivesH1: Co-worker dating superior vs. other status…
more driven by job motives – SUPPORTED less driven by love motives – SUPPORTED more driven by ego motives – SUPPORTED
for superior vs. outsider
Results: Unfair Advantages
H2: Co-worker dating superior vs. other status… more likely to receive unfair advantages– SUPPORTED; dating subordinate vs. outsider also more likely to receive unfair advantages
Results: Trust
H3: Trust a co-worker dating superior vs. other status less– SUPPORTED
Results: Information Manipulation
H4: Co-worker dating superior vs. other status… less honest/accurate self-disclosures w/co-worker –
SUPPORTED more deception w/co-worker – SUPPORTED for
superior vs. outsider
Results: Mediating VariablesRelationships between status of co-worker’s WR
partner & information manipulation mediated by H5: unfair advantages – SUPPORTED partner status unfair advantages info manipulation
H6: WR motives – SUPPORTED for job & love partner status job motive info manipulation partner status love motive info manipulation
H7: trust – SUPPORTED partner status trust info manipulation
Results: WR Co-Worker SexRQ1-4: Differences by sex of WR co-worker in…
WR motives? ns unfair advantages? ns trust? ns information manipulation? ns
Results: Sex X StatusRQ5: Co-worker sex and status of co-worker’s
WR partner interact to affect… WR motives? Lower love motives attributed to male
co-workers dating superiors than to co-workers dating other status types
unfair advantages? ns trust? ns information manipulation? ns
DiscussionNegative evaluative, relational, communicative
consequences for co-workers dating superiors
Equity Theory
Privacy rule violations, info leakage concerns
Implications Sexuality, gender in organizations
Work-life balance, public-private sphere split
May be best for employees to uphold the public-private split
Manage perceptions through transparency, healthy suspicion, broadening one’s network