“I wonder whether I will ever fall in love,” complained a friend who believes they’re running late on marriage. Given her profession and demanding work schedule, she argues she can’t date off work or make time to go out and mingle.
Liz (not a real name) works 12 hours a day, 6 days a week. On her off days, she goes to church and does some housework, with her body requiring some personal time.
Every now and then, Liz is ‘swept off her feet’ with dinner invitations and gifts from charming clients, only to decline them in the name of professionalism.
Love and professionalism are two important aspects of our lives. However, sometimes they come into conflict, especially in professions where it is considered unethical to date clients.
Rules governing professions such as therapy, law, or financial advisory, deem their employees unprofessional and unethical to engage in romantic relationships with clients.
In fact, strict codes of conduct prohibiting professionals from engaging in romantic relationships with their clients are enforced to ensure that ‘love-work’ relationships never happen. All in the name of maintaining the integrity of the profession and preventing conflicts of interest.
Lillian Doreen, managing director of Luxury Travel and Tours, that decorum is a matter of safeguarding the trust and integrity of one’s profession, saying: “When you’re providing a service to a client, your primary focus should be their needs and well-being. Engaging in a romantic relationship with a client blurs those lines, leading to a host of problems.”
Nonetheless, Lillian acknowledges that emotions can be unpredictable, and love does not always conform to these rules, thus advising open and honest communication with the employer, the employee, and the client in case such dilemmas arise.
“It’s essential to do so responsibly and ethically, always considering the impact on the client’s well-being and the job’s integrity, ” she notes.
On the other hand, Gloria H. – a Human Resource manager says it’s completely a NO for people with professional ties to indulge in romantic relationships as it yields conflict of interest.
In her words: “No matter how the two (client and service provider) may claim to be professional, there will always be issues arousing from their love relationship. The best thing is to completely refrain from any temptations.”
She instead advises employees to devise other means of finding love outside the work line. For instance, joining different clubs and groups, or volunteering at social events to meet like-minded people who are not connected directly to their occupation.
Furthermore, using dating apps and websites like ‘Tinder’, which provide a platform for the ‘single and searching’ to connect with people from various backgrounds, can also be a good option.
Some of the employees working in customer relations that SENS spoke to, the majority think Liz should go ahead and try her luck with the clients. After all, it’s the client’s hint that started it all.
“I would definitely ‘chew’ that client,” said Sandra – a commentator -, adding that the only time she would have second thoughts is when the gentleman in the picture is neither good-looking nor financially stable.
Just like Sandra, another female colleague, states she would break the ethical rules if she ever worked in a place where they exist. To her, love knows no boundaries, and rules are meant to be broken.
In the same way, Augustin thinks dating within one’s profession is way better than engaging with someone he doesn’t know. He says this move enables the two love birds to spend quality time together, even within busy schedules.
