A group called on the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to issue guidelines on “workplace romance” policy to prevent employers from implementing oppressive management prerogatives.
According to Alan Tanjusay, Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines spokesman, there is no government policy that prevents an employee from having a romantic relationship with his/her superiors and vice versa.
“Since there is no government policy governing workplace romance between co-employees or between a rank-and-file employee falling in love with his or her boss, or vice versa for that matter, the matter of workplace romance issue is controlled by company’s management prerogative. And some employers use or create such prerogative to lay off, demote or transfer their employees,” he said in a news statement on Tuesday.
“The law is vague and subject to many interpretations. Therefore, many employers tend to demote, transfer or lay off their employee on the basis of having a relationship with their boss or with their co-employee—particularly those who are not unionized,” Tanjusay added.
In its policy engagement with the DOLE, the ALU-TUCP maintains that company policy should allow, not prevent, workplace romance, noting that “workplace romance should not be the cause for dismissal, demotion, transfer, or diminution of wages and benefits.”
“The management prerogative’s policy on intra-office workplace romance should not be restrictive. While we respect such prerogative, the most extreme the policy can do is transfer an employee to another division or department,” Tanjusay said.
Image credits: Jimbo Albano
1 comment
Is there an exception for an extra marital relationship of a co-worker? A guy is married and have an affair with a single co worker. Is there a law that can lay both them off from their work?