FRATERNIZATION

While the City respects the privacy of employees’ activities outside the workplace, some relationships between employees, including romantic relationships, can create problems in the workplace. This policy addresses only those relationships that adversely affect the workplace.

In order to avoid conflicts of interest, misunderstandings, perceptions and complaints of favoritism, disputes between co-workers, the creation of a hostile work environment for any employee, disruption of work flow and services to City residents, unfavorable publicity or unnecessary gossip, the creation of an unprofessional work environment, and in order to protect City employees from unlawful sexual harassment, the City prohibits all dating relationships, romantic involvements, and sexual relations between any supervisor and any employee that he or she supervises.

Additionally, if any relationship between two employees:

(1)        has the effect of involving the employees, co-workers, or the City in any kind of dispute or conflict between the employees or with other employees or third parties,

(2)        interferes with the work of any employee,

(3)        creates a harassing, demeaning or hostile work environment for any employee,

(4)        disrupts the smooth and orderly flow of work within the workplace, or

(5)        places in doubt the reliability, trustworthiness, or sound judgment of the City or any employee,

then the employee(s) responsible for such problem will be subject to counseling and/or disciplinary action -- including potentially the termination of employment -- depending on the circumstances and the severity of the problem.

As noted above, friendships, social activities, and other relationships between employees are respected by the City, so long as they are not prohibited by this policy or any other City policy and do not cause any of the problems highlighted above.