Office Romance

Office Romance

First Line Supervisors and the Office Romance

Dr. Lou Harris, Criminal Justice Department, Faulkner University

When it comes to the performance of law enforcement officers in the field, there is no one so important as the first line supervisor, who is undoubtedly critical to the delivery of quality police services. Generally, officers are given sergeant stripes without pre-promotional training and expected to immediately perform a variety of supervisory tasks without adequate contextual training. Should we be surprised when first line supervisors muddle through months, even years, making poor decisions before grasping the complex nature of their job?

For example, few supervisors are given training or guidelines for handling the increasing problem of romantic relationships in the workplace. I can still remember the confusion among the supervisory ranks in the FBI when the first female agents were assigned to field divisions (1972), and shortly thereafter (the next day), office romances appeared with no signs of abatement. As the number of female officers has steadily increased during the past 25 years, the necessity for supervisors to properly address these potentially disruptive situations has grown proportionally.

Based on a cursory review of law enforcement literature, I found no research of this current managerial challenge. In the private sector, a 1998 survey by Dennis Powers reported that four of five managers either knew of, or had been part of, romantic relationships in their workplace. Since most managerial problems are not unique to law enforcement, I suggest that Powers' findings may be indicative of the police environment.

Recognizing the need for training in this area, the following guidelines are offered for police supervisors:

Communicate. Supervisors are responsible for ensuring that every employee understands departmental rules regarding office romance. Communication must take place before incidents occur and periodic reminders given to reinforce the department's intent to enforce its policies.

Mediate. When a romance goes sour, a supervisor's first response might be to transfer or fire one or both of the affected officers. While this may be an effective strategy, a more equitable approach might to suggest mediation to help the couple establish a continuing work relationship.

Be fair. Supervisors must address all reasonable and legitimate complaints. Treat all parties with equal respect regardless of gender or rank.

Be prompt and discreet. Reassure employees, through words and actions, that their concerns will be taken seriously and handled according to department policy and guidelines.

Seek a balance. Focus on what officers do at work, not own their own time. Departmental policies should establish clear behavior standards for officer conduct on and off duty. These standards must be clearly understood and communicated by supervisors.

Be pro-interactive. Supervisors must support concepts of gender equality and manage personnel so that good male-female officer working relationships may develop and thrive in the workplace.

Powers found that more than half of office romances in the private sector end in marriage. If the police environment mirrors Powers' research group, law enforcement supervisors cannot ignore the probability that many of the office romances will blossom into matrimony. First line supervisors serve as a department's primary representative for identifying, coping, counseling and disciplining affected employees. Clearly more training and policy guidelines are needed in this managerial area as we enter the 21st Century.

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