Overview

This book is about workplace relationships, specifically romantic ones, along with the closely related construct, sexual conduct, which can lead to happiness and joy yet also sadness and bitterness, as well as the legal and ethical challenges in situations of sexual harassment. Researchers have empirically proven that romantic relationships at work can have both positive and negative outcomes, such as increased job involvement, engagement, and work motivation among romance participants, yet at the same time decrease work group morale, especially when a hierarchal romance between a manager or supervisor and a directly reporting subordinate is involved. So, general friendships as well as sexual relationships or other sexual conduct in the workplace, including among professional colleagues, are realities of life for all people. And this fact is especially more prevalent today due to the widespread existence of technology and social media. In this book, the authors attempt to examine some of the important topics of sexual favoritism and office romance in the workplace from practical, legal, and ethical perspectives. Accordingly, the book addresses the laws regarding sexual favoritism in the workplace for employees, managers, and organizations to benefit from it. The three main legal areas - the general rule of isolated instances of sexual favoritism, the quid pro quo exception, and the hostile environment exception - are explained and illustrated. The legal vs. the moral dichotomy of the general rule of sexual favoritism is underscored. The book addresses some of the legal aspects of office romance, particularly how office romance can engender sexual favoritism and then cause sexual harassment and discrimination in the workplace. The book analyzes the topics of sexual favoritism and office romance from an ethical perspective to determine the morality of certain workplace policies and conduct. Four ethical theories are applied to make moral conclusions, to wit: Ethical Egoism, Ethical Relativism, Utilitarianism, and Kantian ethics. The positive vs. negative consequences of office romance are set forth in a balanced manner. Based on the legal and ethical analysis, the authors make several practical recommendations for management, first, generally, to avoid lawsuits for sexual harassment and discrimination and to curtail sexual favoritism, and then specifically regarding appropriate workplace romance policies and procedures, with particular attention on the so-called love contract, and non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) linked to sexual harassment cases. The goal of this book is to help employers and managers to attain a workplace that is practical, effective, functional, and efficacious, but very importantly also one that is legal, fair, ethical, moral, and just. Workplace relationships are likely to form as a natural consequence of human beings working together and developing strong bonds due to mutual respect and professionalism as well as basic physical attraction. If you find yourself or some of your employees in such a relationship, no worries, as this book will help you to navigate through it all professionally. In any workplace relationship, just make sure that how you conduct yourself is legal, fair, ethical, and moral from all perspectives.

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9781936237210

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Bahaudin G. Mujtaba is Professor of Human Resources Management, International Management, and Organizational Behavior at Nova Southeastern University's H. Wayne Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States of America. Bahaudin was awarded the prestigious annual Faculty of the Year Award. Internationally, Bahaudin received the Pride of HR Profession Award at the World HRD Congress annual conference, held in Mumbai, India. Bahaudin served as a corporate manager, trainer and management development specialist and consultant in the retail industry for sixteen years. Bahaudin is SHRM-SCP - certified by the Society of Human Resource Management as a Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP). He is also a certified Diversity and Situational Leadership trainer. Bahaudin has lecture in or served as Chair for national and international conferences around the globe, including in Thailand, Vietnam, the United States, China, Pakistan, Kabul of Afghanistan, Nassau of Bahama, Manaus of Brazil, Kingston of Jamaica, Malaysia, and others. Bahaudin has written and published over one hundred peer reviewed journal articles, and he has authored and co-authored over twenty books. Bahaudin was born in Khoshie of Logar and raised in Kabul, Afghanistan. He finished Fort Myers High School, then attended Edison Community College, University of Central Florida and Nova University, and Nova Southeastern University to achieve his academic dreams. Frank J. Cavico is a Professor of Law, Business Law, and Business Ethics. He has taught for over 40 years at the law school, university, and college level, most recently in the undergraduate business and MBA programs at the H. Wayne Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship of Nova Southeastern University in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, where he recently retired as a Professor Emeritus after 30 years of service, though he is still teaching at Nova Southeastern University as an adjunct professor. He came to Nova Southeastern University to develop a graduate law and ethics course for the Huizenga College's MBA program. He holds a B.A degree in political science from Gettysburg College, a M.A. in political science from Drew University in Madison, N.J., a J.D. from St. Mary's University School of Law in San Antonio, Texas, as well as an LL.M in Torts and Product Liability from the University of San Diego School of Law. He is the recipient of several teaching honors and awards; and he is the author of several books and numerous law review and management journal articles. He resides in Lauderdale by the Sea, Florida, with his wife, Nancy, a registered nurse.

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