Linklaters staff have been instructed to inform management about their workplace relationships.
Under new guidance issued by the firm, staff are expected to tell HR or a department head about office romances so that they can be "properly managed in the interests of all of those involved in the relationship". The global policy was not seeking to ban consensual relationships, said a spokeswoman, or about "prying into personal information". Instead, it was "about acting as a responsible business by supporting our people".
The #MeToo reckoning in law has highlighted how relationships between people of unequal power can lead to problems, and it's those couplings which the firm wants to flush out. Examples of gruesome twosomes the firm said were likely to give rise to "conflicts" included a partner and a junior lawyer, and a pairing in which one lover could unduly influence the performance review, career progression, promotion, work allocation or remuneration of the other.
It remains to be seen how many people will willingly confess that they are being boffed by a partner, or how many partners will admit that they are having an affair with a trainee*. Or what the firm can usefully do with the information once it has it, other than express consternation and, privately, disgust.
But at least Linklaters is grappling seriously with the issues that can arise from workhorn. In a connected initiative, it has set up an external, independently-run whistleblowing hotline called 'SpeakUp' to enable staff to report unacceptable behaviour. Whistleblowers are not required to leave their name, said Links, so they shouldn't have to worry about reporting their boss to his best pal. And their reports would only be sent to a small group to enable the claim to be investigated, said the firm, and never to anyone named in it. They should of course cc their complaints to RollOnFriday.
The issue of misbehaving men was brought into particularly sharp relief for Linklaters in February, when one of its German partners was convicted of sexually assaulting a work experience student. If it had been around at the time, perhaps the lawyer who punched him in the face would have used SpeakUp instead.
Look for other right-thinking firms to introduce a similar service for their staff.
*RollOnFriday wonders whether the senior Linklaters lawyer caught having sex with his trainee under his desk a few years ago, whose fiancée "had no idea", would have had the liaison signed off.
Tip Off ROF
Under new guidance issued by the firm, staff are expected to tell HR or a department head about office romances so that they can be "properly managed in the interests of all of those involved in the relationship". The global policy was not seeking to ban consensual relationships, said a spokeswoman, or about "prying into personal information". Instead, it was "about acting as a responsible business by supporting our people".
The #MeToo reckoning in law has highlighted how relationships between people of unequal power can lead to problems, and it's those couplings which the firm wants to flush out. Examples of gruesome twosomes the firm said were likely to give rise to "conflicts" included a partner and a junior lawyer, and a pairing in which one lover could unduly influence the performance review, career progression, promotion, work allocation or remuneration of the other.
It remains to be seen how many people will willingly confess that they are being boffed by a partner, or how many partners will admit that they are having an affair with a trainee*. Or what the firm can usefully do with the information once it has it, other than express consternation and, privately, disgust.
#YouTwo? |
But at least Linklaters is grappling seriously with the issues that can arise from workhorn. In a connected initiative, it has set up an external, independently-run whistleblowing hotline called 'SpeakUp' to enable staff to report unacceptable behaviour. Whistleblowers are not required to leave their name, said Links, so they shouldn't have to worry about reporting their boss to his best pal. And their reports would only be sent to a small group to enable the claim to be investigated, said the firm, and never to anyone named in it. They should of course cc their complaints to RollOnFriday.
The issue of misbehaving men was brought into particularly sharp relief for Linklaters in February, when one of its German partners was convicted of sexually assaulting a work experience student. If it had been around at the time, perhaps the lawyer who punched him in the face would have used SpeakUp instead.
Look for other right-thinking firms to introduce a similar service for their staff.
*RollOnFriday wonders whether the senior Linklaters lawyer caught having sex with his trainee under his desk a few years ago, whose fiancée "had no idea", would have had the liaison signed off.
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Would be good if ROF were able to follow up on this in say a year's time to see how many people used the facility. Also, are third parties expected to inform management of relationships that they're aware of but not involved in?
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Asking for a friend.
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Can't see how it can be.
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I once went out a few times with someone I met via his work ( we didn't work at the same place but his rules were quite strict at his work) and it was quite amusing that before anything like touching had happened - I just after just 2 dinners he made a formal report to HR. I didn't even know if I liked him. It just seemed rather jumping the gun. Like putting an engagement announcement in the Times or telling your parenst when you've just seen someone twice.
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"He wouldn't tell HR about me"
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I hope the staff have the courage to tell management where to put this.
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