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Romance

Here are the questions filed under this category. To read Ken's advice on any item, click on the link "Read Ken's Answer."


It is like pulling teeth to get the supervisors in my department to work together. Last week, one of my employees told me that several supervisors who are married are having affairs with each other. I investigated and found the rumors are true. The affairs are happening after hours and on weekends. All of my employees are aware of this, and it is no wonder I cannot get any teamwork going. Can I approach these supervisors and let them know of the problems that are following them to work?
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What are your thoughts about a wife, girlfriend, or significant other taking over and running the office? This is the situation here, and all of us are afraid to say anything to our boss because he is "in love" and lets his significant other do things her way. The atmosphere is very tense, and the working environment is not efficient. This woman has the power to get any of us fired.
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It is like pulling teeth to get the supervisors in my department to work together. Last week, one of my employees told me that several supervisors who are married are having affairs with each other. I investigated and found the rumors are true. The affairs are happening after hours and on weekends. All of my employees are aware of this, and it is no wonder I cannot get any teamwork going. Can I approach these supervisors and let them know of the problems that are following them to work?
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The company where I work had a "no husband and wife policy" until recently. Now we are having many problems with the first married couple in our area. They defend each other, do each other's work, and talk about their relationship incessantly. Many of us have complained to management, but we are told that human resources allows married couples to work in the same area. What do you think?
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I have worked in a family-owned business for several years. Last year, the firms' president took ill and his son, the vice president, took over. Recently, he began a sexual relationship with one of his direct reports, a woman who separated from her husband because of this affair. She oversees an important department. Because of the lack of professionalism and judgment of these two individuals, productivity has slipped, clients are being lost, and many good employees are thinking about quitting. Should I talk to the president who is healthy today but not involved in the day-to-day business?
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Our boss keeps promoting his girlfriend even though she does less work than the other employees in the department. What's worse, we work in city government, where this sort of thing isn't supposed to happen. What can we do?
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I am an accountant in a small commercial real estate company. There is a generous owner, a secretary, another accountant, and myself -- I am female. The secretary and I have always been great friends, but the other accountant is constantly gossiping about me and my work to her. He and the owner are both in love with her, and she is married. She tells me she does not know what to say to the accountant when he wants to vent about me. Do I confront him or ignore them both?
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Somehow a rumor started that I am romantically involved with one of the women who report to me. We all work long hours, and I stayed late with her a few weeks ago when she had a flat tire. However, there was and is nothing going on between us, but the rumors still fly. How do I stop them?
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We have a female in our department who gets all sorts of favors from the manager, and the reason is that she is a big flirt. She readily admits this and says that it is too bad for the rest of us. Should we say something?
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I supervise a new employee in my department, and she is single and so am I. We ran into each other outside of work and now we see a lot of each other. We have a good time together, and I don't feel like ending it just because the company frowns on this type of thing. Is it much of a problem if we keep our relationship quiet and keep it completely out of the workplace?
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