relationships with co-workers, with some industries actually encouraging them

LOVE AT WORK

Most companies in India have no strict guidelines about reporting relationships with co-workers, with some industries actually encouraging them

    When it comes to dating in the office, India is a cool place to work. A 2012 study conducted by Randstad, an Amsterdambased staffing company, found that in India 70 per cent of employees reported workplace romantic liaisons, compared with countries where romantic relationships in the workplace are less common, including Japan (33 per cent) and Luxembourg (36 per cent).
    One of the main reasons for this is the absence of any clear-cut policies barring romantic rendezvous. Is it okay to ask a junior colleague out to dinner? Will you be noticed if you go for frequent smoke breaks with a particular colleague? Can spending too much time chatting with a co-worker lead to an intervention from the HR department? These are questions that employees across corporate India may not have the answers to. According to Prashant Bhaskar, founder & CEO, plugHR, a Mumbai-based human resource consultancy, there are no precedents that demand the incorporation of strict guidelines on the subject. “India Inc doesn’t have a legacy of workplace relationships going sour and resulting in expensive lawsuits. Its liberal view on the subject is based on its understanding of risk involved and exposure to it in the past,” he says.
    Far from forbidding relationships, in India, the office is a preferred scouting ground for suitable partners. Chaitanya Ramalingegowda, relationship expert and founder, Twolymadlydeeply (TMD), a dating website, says, “People spend eight to 10 hours in office every day and probably another two commuting which leaves them with hardly any time to socialize after hours. So they prefer having relationships in office.” He emphasizes the strengths of romantic relationships forged at work, saying they can enhance performance. “Spending time with a colleague, taking coffee breaks together... such informal interactions can be used for brainstorming of ideas and thoughts or even having mentorship discussions,” says Ramalingegowda.
    That relationships and work can co-exist in the workspace is a belief the Indian IT industry supports, especially since it is an incentive for employees to continue working in the same place. The Indian IT industry, which employs close to 25 lakh people, has high attrition rates, typically 30 per cent to 50 per cent annually. “Most of this workforce is young and likely to get romantically involved with their colleagues. So in the absence of a perceived threat, the policy to allow married couples to work in the same organisation is a function of talent availability,” says Bhaskar.
    At Yahoo! India, there’s no bar on male and female colleagues from having a relationship. “We absolutely don’t frown upon things like coffee or smoke breaks or male and female colleagues hanging out together,” says Aniruddha Banerjee, head, human resources, Yahoo! India. Couples at NIIT enjoy an anniversary allowance, which is a percentage of their salary. “We have very high regard for people working for us. If NIITians find spouses within the organisation, we welcome it,” says Prateek Chatterjee, vice-president corporate communication and marketing, NIIT.
    Of course, there are boundaries which have been put down on paper — a code of conduct that trust the employee to report any conflict of interest arising from a personal relationship at work. Also, if it is revealed that the relationship is impacting the work performance negatively, or the relationship is between a senior and junior employee within the same reporting structure, the situation is reviewed. While NIIT is comfortable with married couples being colleagues, Banerjee says, “If our performance assessment reveals any lags, we advise an alternate portfolio for the person under our Internal Job Placement scheme. In case office hierarchy is compromised because of a personal relationship, one of the involved persons is moved to another role,” he says.
    The IT industry worldwide is relaxed about romantic relationships at work — according to an annual international Valentine survey conducted by CareerBuilder, a human capital solutions company, this year IT ranks second on the list of industries for office romance after leisure and hospitality — other sectors like FMCG and manufacturing in India are more stringent with their guidelines. These industries do not have large workforces, work with people who are older and more skilled and attrition is not a pressing concern. “We don’t allow employees to work with any relatives, including spouses, in order to keep assessment of work and performance objective,” says Sanjiv Dixit, chief people officer at Allied Blenders and Distillers (ABD), which manufactures Officer’s Choice whisky. Admitting it is difficult, and invasive, to monitor whether the staff is dating internally, Dixit says complaints about inappropriate relationships are acted on. “If we believe a relationship is causing a conflict of interest we call the involved persons for an informal or formal chat and discuss how the involvement should not affect work,” says Dixit who says that during his prior stints at Pepsico, Alstom and Philips, he has never encountered any employees who have crossed these lines.