I was interviewed for part of the "Valentine’s Day" package by Renee Montagne, the host of National Public Radio’s Morning Edition. It will run two or three times. As said in my earlier post, the story was about the virtues of love in the workplace. I acknowledged there are risks — both legal and professional — but there is an argument that, if a couple makes it through the initial period of lust and distraction, then romance can be good for companies. There is evidence that productivity goes down during the early stages of workplace romances, and of course there are other risks as well, especially if they have a messy break-up — which often drives at least one party out of the company. But once some stability sets in, married couples and domestic partners can be good for organizations, as they end-up with loyal employees who understand the company well.
Southwest Airlines is exhibit one here. They have 1100 married couples — so 2200 of their 35,000 or so employees — and they claim the loyalty and stability helps them a lot. It was fun and I guess they will cut the 15 minute or so interview to 3 or 4 minutes, which isn’t bad compared to my Today Show experience.
Listen to "Weighing the Pros and Cons of Office Romances" at NPR here
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