Why Google and McDonald's Prohibit 'In-House Dating'

"Unwanted Advances from Superiors, Violence Against Subordinates"
7 out of 10 Office Workers Say "Let's Establish a Ban on Workplace Romance"

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] Voices are emerging calling for a ban on workplace dating. This is due to criticism that unilateral advances by superiors within the organization who have supervisory and evaluation authority can be a form of violence against subordinate employees. There is also concern that a specific relationship between two people could negatively affect work. Overseas companies such as Google and McDonald's have established internal rules banning workplace dating.

On the 22nd, the civic group Workplace Bullying 119 disclosed the status of a total of 25 victim reports received by the Workplace Gender Violence Reporting Center over the past three months. Among these, 8 cases involved coercive advances, the most frequent, followed by 6 cases of unwanted physical contact such as sexual harassment. Other cases included 5 instances of excessive appearance control and 3 cases of malicious rumors.

Informant A said, "The boss deliberately placed his hand on my thigh under the pretext of sitting next to me to teach me work," adding, "After raising the issue and demanding a public apology, the boss admitted his wrongdoing but refused, saying, 'I'd rather pay a fine than do that.'" Also, B, who works at a business with fewer than five employees, said, "My superior repeatedly asked me to have dinner alone, so I had no choice but to join a company dinner," and lamented, "After the meal, in the car on the way home, (the superior) shamelessly suggested going to a motel, forcibly hugged me, and kissed me on the cheek."

The background for the call to ban workplace dating is the recognition that unwanted unilateral advances can be a form of violence. In particular, when advances come from a superior in a dominant position, there is concern about secondary harm, such as difficulty refusing or suffering disadvantages if refused. According to a survey conducted by Workplace Bullying 119 in October targeting 1,000 office workers, 72% of respondents agreed with establishing employment rules that prohibit dating between seniors and juniors.

Already, many overseas companies have personnel regulations that prohibit or restrict dating between superiors and subordinates. Google, where internal sexual harassment issues involving Andy Rubin and others continued, banned dating between supervisors and subordinates starting in 2020. McDonald's also has regulations that completely prohibit workplace dating between employees who have direct or indirect reporting relationships.

According to CNN in the United States, there is a personnel regulation stating, "Supervisors cannot hire or supervise someone with whom they have a personal relationship, and if they enter into such a relationship, they must report it to the HR department." In fact, in February, Jeff Zucker, CNN president, resigned after it was revealed that he was in a romantic relationship with Vice President Allison Gollust.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.