Workplace Romance and Career Reputation Effects across Industries

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to empirically answer the longstanding question regarding industry differences in reactions to workplace romance. Departing from prior research designs, and employing the largest workplace romance sample to date, close to 1,000 adults in major US cities reported their workplace romance experiences and beliefs through an internet survey. Beliefs about workplace romance’s career reputation effects, workplace romance occurrence, and comfort with workplace romance differed by industry, with Healthcare, Education, Administration, and Other Professional industries appearing to represent the most conservative workplaces, and Finance, Trade, and Sales; STEM; and Blue-Collar and Manual Labor industries the most liberal. Industry also interacted with employee sex, management status, and age to affect workplace romance outcomes. Furthermore, workplace romances were seen as more damaging to women’s than men’s careers. Results suggest that human resources professionals should develop workplace romance policies that match the norms and values of their workplaces. A “one-size-fits-all” policy will be ineffective and, in some industries, may be construed as infringing on privacy. Workplace romance’s effect on career reputations depends on the participant’s industry, management status, age, and gender, underscoring the need for awareness of cultural influences on evaluations of employee sexuality. This study empirically demonstrates, for the first time, that industry is associated with beliefs about workplace romance’s career reputation effects. Findings for Blue-Collar and Manual Labor work, previously overlooked, suggest particularly intriguing connections among masculinity, sexuality, aggression, and reputation effects.