Acme Company has a zero tolerance policy as it relates to any form of sexual harassment in the workplace.

Acme Company has a zero tolerance policy as it relates to any form of sexual harassment in the workplace. In furtherance of this policy Acme prohibits any “dating” by one employee with any other employee no matter what position either employee holds or in what department they are employed. Bob, a male employee and Sue a female employee meet at their mixed singles bowling league and began dating. On their first date they learned that they both work for Acme in the same pay grade but at different locations. They both knew of the policy but continued their relationship. When Acme learned of their relationship a few weeks later, they were both terminated. Is this legal? Is this fair? Why or why not.

ANSWER

Week Four

It is legal for companies to prohibit “dating” and romantic relationships between employees/co-workers, although some U.S. states are yet to outlaw such practices. In that connection, organizations formulate policies about employee dating in the workplace and execute them to avoid favoritism, sexual harassment charges, employee turnover, retaliatory behavior, and potential damage to their reputation (Gollan & Patmore, 2013). Employers are becoming aware that workplace sexual harassment is a major issue. It can turn out to be a nightmare if left unchecked, especially for organizations and employers. At the same time, romantic relationships are entirely different since they are often consensual (Rodriguez et al., 2017). They involve two people with mutual feelings about each other. On the other hand, sexual…

Regarding the case at Acme Company, it was legal for the company to terminate the contracts of both Sue and Bob after they violated the company’s zero-tolerance policy to any form of sexual harassment, including “dating” (Gollan & Patmore, 2013). The legal framework also allows the company to violate the right to privacy of the employee by regulating the private and off-work relationships of the employees (Rodriguez et al., 2017). In the process, employees’ contracts may be terminated if they violate this policy, as was the case with Bob and Sue. Lastly, the scenario involving Bob and Sue, however, was not fair as the emphasis by the company was on a zero-tolerance policy concerning all forms of sexual harassment in the workplace. In this case, Bob and Sue were in…