LOVE WITHOUT SEX - THE IMPACT OF PSYCHOLOGICAL INTIMACY BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN AT WORK

Although workplace relationships that involve sexual attraction and romance have received much media attention in recent years, friendships that do not involve sexual intimacy remain largely unexamined. Nonetheless, these relationships will likely become more prevalent and will raise new questions for organizations. For example, are such relationships inevitably headed for sexual involvement? What are the links, if any, with sexual harassment? Should managers encourage inter-dependence and interaction in teams while, at the same time, discouraging personal relationships between men and women? The authors' research, based on both case studies and a national survey, shows that relationships with psychological (but not physical) intimacy are associated with positive benefits for the participants and the organization. These benefits include mutual career-related support, more job involvement, positive self-evaluation of performance, and greater commitment to the organization. Some negative consequences for the work group, such as gossip and complaints, may also arise. Therefore, the authors urge managers not to be fooled by appearances, but to focus on objective measures of performance in determining whether a particular relationship is producing negative consequences.