Gen Z, Alpha may push companies to warm up to workplace romance

As Generation Z and Generation Alpha begin to dominate the workforce, Indian companies are faced with a pressing question: Will they relax their rigid ‘No Workplace Romance’ policies to accommodate the evolving attitudes of these younger generations?

With changing social norms and a growing emphasis on work-life balance, HR experts say the clash between traditional corporate culture and modern relationship dynamics is inevitable. However, industry leaders say there would be potential shifts in policy to embrace the future of workplace relationships in India.

“Rigid policies feel outdated. We seek environments where we can be our authentic selves, both personally and professionally,” said a 23-year-old Noida-based business development professional, who claims his manager is quite welcoming on the topic but the organisational policy bans it.

A February 2023 survey from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) found Younger Millennial and Generation Z workers in the US are significantly more likely to say they’d be open to being in a workplace romance (33 percent) than Older Millennial workers (15 percent), Generation X workers (27 percent), and Baby Boomer and Traditionalist workers (23 percent).

“These generations prioritise flexibility, authenticity, and a more integrated approach to life and work, which contrasts with the strict boundaries maintained by previous generations. For Gen Z and Gen Alpha, work-life balance often means blending personal and professional commitments seamlessly…,” said Dhriti Prasanna Mahanta, VP and Business Head at TeamLease Degree Apprenticeship.

He added that workplace dynamics are evolving as corporations become more inclusive, with policies and organisational culture playing key roles in managing personal and professional relationships. “Although current practices are subject to HR policies and organisational culture, adopting structured approaches to managing these relationships may enhance both personal and professional outcomes in the future,” Mahanta said.

Balance is necessary

A 2020 research titled ‘Workplace Romance: What Indian Managers Feel about it?’ published in the International Journal of Psychosocial Rehabilitation, found that managers agree that romantic relationships prevail in their organisations. Still, they have never treated it as a factor which can impact the organisation as a whole.

“ As far as the type of workplace romance is concerned, they find hierarchical romance more vulnerable as compared to lateral romance because it leads to favouritism and hides the other good performers in the department, which leads to biased performance appraisal,” the paper said, adding that most of the managers have not experienced the worst situation arising out of workplace romance.

Swati Bhargava’s experience as co-founder and a married couple at Cashkaro and Earnkaro has taught her that a rigid ‘No Workplace Romance’ policy can be counterproductive if not handled with nuance.

As long as professional boundaries and office code of conduct is followed, she believes policies are not compromised and work performance is not compromised, allowing workplace relationships could foster a more inclusive and understanding work environment.

“We have had couples in the past who met at CashKaro and eventually got married. Their relationships did not affect their work, and they continued to maintain professionalism throughout,” Bhargava said.

Hard to cut noise

There have been a few instances in the career of Murali Santhanam, CHRO at Ascent HR, where managers or other employees brought up situations of workplace romance. According to Santhanam, this had to be handled carefully, speaking to the concerned people one-on-one and articulating the need to ensure that this does not impact the work outcomes.

However, she agreed that the hardest part is to cut down the noise around such situations, especially with employees at work from different walks of life.

“I believe that workplace romance needs to be accepted, especially with the majority of young employees in any sector who are in the first 10 years of their career and mostly unmarried. It is a fact that an employee’s normal work day of 10-12 hours is spent at the workplace and more time outside with colleagues in informal settings and meet-ups. Relationships can get stronger while working together and this cannot be wished away,” she said.

All that managers and HR need to do is keep an eye on such situations, discuss and address such situations with an open mind, and at the same time ensure that employees understand their obligations to their work, Santhanam added.