...Consensual Relationships Agreement Case study Argue for the use of Consensual Relationship Agreements (CRAs) in your current (or future) workplace. When it comes to work environments, there are many issues. One big issue that seems to be a problem when it comes to the workplace is the issue of sexual harassment and other problems related to this. In the workplace, it is important to know what is going on. It is inevitable that at some point, love will cross paths of two workers who happen to work at the same job. In every job environment, there are women who work with men. Because of this, it is important that all HR departments lay the foundation in training of what the boundaries are when it comes to one another. Relationship that fail can end up in sexual harassment cases which in turn exploits the job in a negative way. By having consensual relationship agreements, any cases of any type of harassment can be avoided. In some instances, jobs have found it difficult to decipher between acts that were wanted and acts that actually were not. When two people are in intimate relationships and they both work together, this can become an issue. If two people are involved in a relationship and then the relationship fails, can it be deemed as sexual harassment if one partner makes an unwanted gesture? If two people are involved in a relationship and the manager is not aware of it, can the manager deem it as sexual harassment if one partner reports the other because of an...
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...analysis of the Consensual Relationship Agreements Case Study Assignment 1 By: STUDENT NAME: Arlette Lamsa To: Dr. Evangeline Jefferson Professor: COURSE NAME: Bus 520: Leadership and organization Behavior STRAYER UNIVERSITY WASHINGTON, DC January, 2013 Consensual Relationship Agreements Case Study Introduction: The purpose of this project is to examine the Consensual Relationship Agreement case study. By Definition, consensual relationship Agreement indicates an agreement read and signed by both Employers and employees by highlighting and confirming an obviously romantic relationship between both parties. The use of consensual relationship Agreement policy in general at the workplace, is fundamental for the employers and also employees. In many organizations, employees are in risks of potentials sexual harassments. But inevitably, some workers engage in a romance adventure at the office. Sometimes those romances end in a not so good term with pretty bad consequences. According to Hellriegel and Slocum (2011), the characteristics of a consensual Relationship agreement is defined as contract that set boundaries on certain office romance situations. They go as the following: decreasing sexual harassment litigation risk, reducing perceptions of favoritism, creating a forum to discuss professional workplace behavior, and reminding dating employees the lack of privacy in the workplace. This is to ensure all relationships are voluntary...
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...Consensual Relationship Agreement Employers have always been very carefully about interpersonal relationships within employees. They realize the need to protect themselves from legal actions that may arise as a result of these love encounters. Workplace romance can lead to accusations of poor judgment, breaches of ethics, favoritism, lost productivity, poor employee morale, sexual harassment claims and even workplace violence. As a result of these issues, the companies have developed a new documentation for the employees called consensual relationship agreement. A consensual Relationship agreement also known as a “Love Contract” is one in which two people from mutually consent in an emotionally (romantic) and physical (sexually) intimate relationship and frees the employer from any litigation that may arise as a result of a breakup. By having both parties sign this document, they are immediately place on an active notice of their separate rights and responsibilities during the course of the relationship and after its possible demise. It affirms that the signees are aware of the company’s policies on sexual harassment and workplace ethics and understand the consequences of failure to follow those policies. So far, these agreements may be perceived as beneficial for the sake of the organization but how does this action affects the employee? Primarily the use of this agreement violates the privacy of the employee. Just the merely request to sign such a contract, can be perceive...
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...Consensual Relationship Agreement: A written agreement or contract in which the romantically involved parties acknowledge and adhere to specific guidelines in the workplace (Hellriegel/Slocum p 65). I have not worked for a company that had such an agreement. Matter of fact, reading this case study on Diversity Competency in the Organizational and Behavior text was the first I’ve heard of it; however, I personally have had a workplace romance. Several of my close married friends met their significant other in the workplace. Articles online specific to CRA’s declared they have only been around for six or seven years (Higher Education WebBlog, Consensual Relationship Agreement 5/23/2011) and 75% of employers do not have a policy on workplace relationships (Employment Law Alert, The Importance of a Workplace Romance Policy, 5/2/2011). Where it can be the epitome of distraction, it seems the healthcare industry is swarming with office romances. Many of these romances are temporary with harsh endings. A great employee might not want to continue working for an employer if an office romance went sour. This alone would be a strong argument for a Consensual Relationship Agreement. The text identifies the following guidelines in a CRA (Hellriegel/Slocum p 65): Their relationship is voluntary and consensual They agree to abide by the employer’s antidiscrimination, antiharassment, and workplace conduct policies. They promise to report any perceived harassment to management...
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...| Consensual Relationship Agreement | | | The office seems to be a hotbed of romance and a more effective one than dating Web sites or the corner bar. The social nature of many workplaces provides the perfect environment to get to know your co-workers. Between get-togethers every Friday after work with alcohol, food, and possibly music (which leads to dancing) and the softball and volleyball teams, barbeques and pot lucks, there are plenty of opportunities for employees to enjoy each other’s company. HR Solutions’ 2009 National Normative data confirms that 88 percent of all workers strongly feel the people they work with are friendly. We all spend so much time at work and are often attracted to people who share common interests; it only makes sense that one of these very friendly co-workers is going to eventually jump to the top of your dating to-do list. A study by Vault.com shows that almost half of us have been romantically tied to someone at work and that workplace relationships often can be successful; roughly one-quarter result in long-term relationships and even marriage. It is believed that people are more likely to date a coworker in the office rather than someone outside of the workplace. Although, romantic relationships are common in the office, many employers are increasingly turning to consensual relationship agreements. A Consensual Relationship Agreement (CRA) is essentially a written “contract” in which the romantically involved parties acknowledge...
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...Consensual Relationship Agreement Zachery Jenkins BUS 520: Leadership and Organizational Jelena Vucetic 4/22/12 Consensual Relationship Agreements According to studies, about 80% of people have either been in or witnessed romantic relationships in their workplace (Loftus). Consensual Relationship Agreements or “Love Contracts” are guidelines and agreements between employer and employee on handling these workplace romances. The idea behind these contracts is to differentiate between what is actually an office romance, what is consensual, versus actions that are uninvited, such as sexual harassment. Now whether or not they are necessary or even effective depends on how you choose to analyze them. CRAs could deem themselves pretty useful in my current workplace. Full time employees work an average of 45 hours per week, which is a little over 26% of the entire week if broken down into a percentage. Spending over a quarter of your week in the same place, with the same people, both male and female, the possibility of attraction between two individuals involved will certainly increase. Since it’s nearly impossible to manage human nature, adopting policies and guidelines to accommodate these romances, would actually be fostering the mental psyche of the modern professional man and woman, and allowing them to work in more comfortable and secret-free environment. In the type of team environment that I work in, where each employee has to interact with another on a daily basis...
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...CONSENSUAL RELATIONSHIPS AGREEMENT CASE STUDY Christopher R. Faulkner BUS 520 1/22/12 Faulkner 1 INTRODUCTION There are some individuals in the workforce who don’t really have much time to go out a. They tend to spend most of their time at work or at work related functions. Work for young people is more intense than it has ever been. Dating at work would seem to be the most obvious place you would find someone that you feel compatible with. It’s the only place you interact with people who are in the same field as you and probably have many things in common. The problem lies with the management and the policies against consensual relationships in the workplace. They sometimes need to have policies because of situations that occur and disruptions or interference in the worker’s responsibilities. Although most companies don’t have a written policy many people feel that there is an unwritten policy against dating in the workplace, however there is a policy against dating in the workplace for some companies and it is called the consensual relationship agreement. According to the textbook, a CRA is a written contract to protect against employees who are involved in relationships in the workplace. (Hellriegel...
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...There are many reasons why implementing the Consensual Relationship Agreement into the workplace policy and guidelines of any job is important. There are also many opinions on why this policy is unnecessary, and can give the vibe of invading one’s personal space. Implementing such a policy will allow for the company to have a surety in place, so that the company is safe from lawsuits, and being solely liable for any mishappenings of those involved. Implementing these types of policies may also convey the sense of fairness to all. There are two ethical principles: sexual harassment, and stakeholder responsibility, that I feel are major aspects on the whys and the hows of the Consensual Relationship Agreement. There has been endless episodes of romance and dating at the workplace. Most businesses were off-hands when it came to the matters of love and dating on the job. “The issue is not going away”, says Helaine Olen, coauthor of Office Mate: The Employee Handbook for Finding --- and Managing--- Romance on the job (Adams Media, 2007). It is really vital for those in leadership positions to accept the likelihood of romance and dating at the workplace. It is also crucial for there to be some sort of policy and procedure in place, to be prepared to deal with any happenings, dealing with the aftermath of these said relationships. If they tried to forbid the dating it was like using reverse psychology. The more it is forbidden, the more likely, one is to partake in it, just to be...
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...Consensual Relationship Agreements AMLW BUS520/Leadership and Organizational Behavior Love in the office is bound to happen. Nowadays with more and more people spending time focused on work and being in the office, the number of office romances are on the rise (Dharmaraj, 2012). In the office, one tends to meet people who share in at least one of his or her common interest(s)-the career path he or she has chosen. Any activity such as dinner and drinks after a long days work can lead in individuals developing a love interest in one another. Many actors and actress can be seen in films together; Only later for it to come out that they are dating. President Obama met his wife while employed at Sidley & Austin, LLP (Essence Magazine, 2010). Those involved in romantic relationships must ensure that the relationship does not interfere with the performance of either employees job by properly managing the relationship;Management is a necessity to protect both those involved in the relationship and the company itself (Cohen, 2009). As long as the individuals involved are able to differentiate the difference between the workplace and their relationship, a consensual relationship agreement can be used to protect the company's safety against sexual harassment claims should the relationship go awry. A consensual relationship agreement(CRA) is voluntary written contract that protects employees from claims of sexual harassment against the company (Hellriegel & Slocum, 2011)...
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...Consensual Relationship Agreements Strayer University Robert Guest Dr. Larry Hughes BUS520 In many and most large organizations the possibilities of a relationship is a very real situation. Spending at least most cases 40 plus hours a week which is more than most individuals spend at home or out looking for relationships gives a person the ability to create closer relationships with the opposite sex at the work place then it would anywhere else. Because of this there have been many opinions on whether or not to make the use of Consensual Relationship Agreements a standard practice among the work place. In today’s workplaces many organizations either prohibit or sway against any romantic engagements with other employees within their workplaces however, there are other companies that tend to let it happen and look the other way. According to the Society for Human Resources Management had no policy regarding the workplace relationship (Hellriegel & Slocum, 2010). This was until the adoption of the Consensual Relationship Agreements that turned into a contract for employees to ensure they are not allowing any workplace relationships reduce the efficiency of their work and also to protect the organizations from any legal issues that may arise from the involvement of employees and the possibility of bad breakups from relationships. A Consensual Relationship Agreement is an contract between a employee and management that states that the employee will not allow...
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...Organizational Behavior, Dr. Wilkerson Week 3, Assignment 1 Consensual Relationship Agreements Case Study April 22, 2012 Tiffany Hurt Reference page 1. Organizational Behavior – Hellriegel/Slocum 2011 Custom edition In my current workplace, I believe that having a Consensual Relationship Agreement (CRA) in place would be beneficial to the agency. Considering all the training, we now have to take pertaining to sexual harassment, ethics, and security, etc. having the Consensual Relationship Agreement in place could cut down on various lawsuits, and sexual harassment claims filed by employees, saving the agency time and money with investigating employees when time and money can be spent more productively within the agency. I have witnessed a few relationships develop within our agency and a few resulted in marriage but those relationships were kept very quiet and no one was aware the individuals were dating. In my opinion the only way the couples were not scrutinized is because they kept their relationships a secret and they were very lucky and professional with one another while in the workplace so that no coworkers were able to detect they were dating one another. It is a given fact that individuals spend more time at work then at home, which sometimes results in relationships being developed when your spend vast amounts of time with coworkers on projects, and work assignments. Employees’ start to form basic relationships with coworkers and bonds began to form with one another...
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...Consensual Relationship Agreement Leadership and Organizational Behavior January 22, 2012 Abstract In today’s fast paced society women and men spend nearly forty percent of their week in the workplace. Due to the time spent working together; many workers generate a common interest in one another, therefore leading to workplace romance. Many companies protect themselves and their workers with Consensual Relationship Agreements or CRA; a CRA is a written contract in which romantically involved partners acknowledge workplace policies regarding romance. The CRA is confirmation of their relationship being voluntary and consensual; ensuring that the statutes of the relationship does not affect the dynamics of the workplace ethical infrastructure. Both parties agree to abide by the employers antidiscrimination, anti-harassment, and workplace conduct policies. Many employers and employees find that CRAs can be both beneficial and detrimental in the workplace; affecting personal relationships, workplace infrastructure, and productivity. There are several benefits that CRAs provide in today’s workplace not all companies have policies in place but they are beneficial to productivity. Consensual Relationship Agreements create boundaries for workplace relationships and legally binds employees to behave in a professional manner. A majority of companies do not have any policy in place. The dynamics of the workplace was jeopardized because several people dated romantically. This...
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...Consensual Relationship Agreements (Case Study) Dr. Tameria Vickerson Business 520 – Leadership And Organizational Behavior January 27, 2013 Strayer University Abstract The focus of this paper is to outline the pros and cons, explain, and explore the ethical issues of a Consensual Relationship Agreement (CRAs) between coworkers, corporate vice-presidents, executives, and/or managers in the workplace. It will present arguments for and against the use of CRAs in the workplace by analyzing the relationships between the basic organizational behavior models of individual groups and organizational processes. Additionally, this paper will discuss the ethical principles that are involved in the use of a CRA, how ethical decisions are made within an organization as it pertains to a CRA, and how these relationships impact and/or affect productivity. Finally, it will explore other options that would address the issue of workplace romance (Don Hellriegel & John W. Slocum, Jr., 2011). Keywords: Consensual Relationship Agreements, CRA(s) CONSENSUAL RELATIONSHIP AGREEMENTS (CASE STUDY) Discussion What is a Consensual Relationship Agreement (“CRA”)? “An agreement signed by employer and employees confirming that a romantic or sexual relationship between employees is voluntary and consensual” (Don Hellriegel & John W. Slocum, Jr., (2011). Let us face it, in today’s society; the majority of us spend most of our waking hours during the week...
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...Cover Page: Assignment 1: Consensual Relationship Agreements Case Study Eric Alan Sewell Professor Organizational Behavior 520 Besides raising a few eyebrows, office romances can jeopardize your job security and put employers and co-workers on edge. If you find yourself drawn to an attractive co-worker, be aware of company policy and relatively new trends in office romance management. “These types of contracts have been around for about six or seven years. Before you consider another date with your new office partner, give some thought to what you might want to do if asked to sign one of these agreements. Basically, it’s an agreement to not pursue litigation against the employer if the relationship goes bad. Once two employees stop dating, one person may believe that the former partner no longer treats them fairly or ignores them when a promotion should be considered. It’s at this point that the less senior employee could claim that a “hostile work environment” has evolved–and pursue litigation against the employer. According to Jones, “Most employers realize that it’s unwise to try and ban all office romances. However, they are very interested in preventing these relationships from having a negative impact on the workplace.” By having both parties sign a Consensual Relationship Agreement, the two parties will be put on active notice of their separate rights and responsibilities, both during the course of the relationship and after its possible demise. ...
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...Consensual Relationship Agreement Amy Marie Bauer Dr. Annette M. West Bus 520 Leadership and Organizational 26 January 2013 Consensual Relationship Agreements Case Study Argue for the use of the Consensual Relationship agreement (CRAs) in your current (or future workplace. Never mix business with pleasure is a saying that I commonly hear. Judging from a survey from 2003, the majority of supervisors and executives would agree with that statement. 81% of human resource professionals and 76% of executives said workplace romances are dangerous because they can lead to conflict within the organization (Lyrem, 2003, p. 1). As a result of these findings, Consensual Relationship Agreements, which are also called love contracts, could be an important tool used to address potentially offensive behavior from parties involved in dating and relationships. Offensive behaviors include kissing, hugging, winking, verbal affection, and hostile language or speech (Hellriegel & Slocum, 2011). If offensive behavior was to occur, it could dramatically lesson the effectiveness of employees. In workplace settings, certain inappropriate behaviors could limit the ability of workers to perform efficiently. A Consensual Relationship Agreement (CRA) is essentially a written “contract” in which the romantically involved parties acknowledge the following: Their relationship is voluntary and consensual, they agree to abide by the employers anti-discrimination , anti-harassment, and workplace...
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