Positive Work Culture
Elizabeth’s story is hard to read because we see a strong talented woman, brought out of character by selfish coworkers. As a manager, I would feel ethically inclined to disallow workplace relationships. Theoretically, having romantically involved employees could improve their commitment to the company; however, it could also end in a situation like we see with Elizabeth. Even the best case romantic scenarios can lead to favoritism, and the worst case scenarios can lead to direct emotional and professional harm. It can be argued that Brad created a hostile work environment when he started being cold towards Elizabeth, but Elizabeth crossed the line when she mislead her coworker to gain information about Brad and Claudia.
As a woman, I can empathize with the expert advice to wait until Elizabeth’s stocks vest before moving on, especially because studies on game theory have shown that a tit-for-tat mentality leads to the best overall outcomes. But as a manager at a growing company, I would not want someone on my team who is waiting to cash a check and run off. I would have tried to prevent the Elizabeth-Brad situation from developing, but were I dropped into the scenario as-is, I would look to replace all parties. I would leverage my network to find a great job for Elizabeth somewhere else as well as someone to replace Brad. I believe having a strong positive work culture is a non-negotiable aspect of building a thriving team. As a manager, I am willing to enforce tough policies in pursuit of long-term success.
