A manager’s Reddit post has drawn widespread attention after detailing a newly formalised company policy that enforces instant termination for certain workplace relationships.
The manager, who oversees seven employees at a privately held firm with around 10,000 workers across five US states, said the update was announced during an all-hands meeting with the legal team.
“New form of instant termination,” the caption of the post reads.
According to the post, the company has introduced a strict zero-tolerance approach to romantic involvement within the chain of command.
Any employee found to be in a romantic interaction with someone directly reporting to them would be immediately dismissed. The manager added that even relationships with lower-ranking employees outside one’s chain of command could trigger termination if not reported promptly.
“No gray area… just… fired,” the manager adds.
However, employees who date someone outside their chain of command and report it in advance reportedly face no disciplinary action.
The manager described the announcement as the first time the company had addressed the issue so formally.
“Good thing I’m happily married to someone outside company,” the post adds.
Beyond relationship policies, the company also introduced another significant change. Now, all harassment-related complaints must be referred directly to the corporate lawyer and not HR.
Reddit reacts:
Reddit users reacted strongly to the post, with many expressing surprise at the company’s strange workplace relationship rules.
One of the users commented, “The direct chain of command is clear-cut and many properly governed organizations have similar prohibitions, although they might not clearly say immediate termination.”
A second user commented, “This is new to your company? Because it is definitely not new in general. I have seen multiple people fired for this reason.”
“A former boss of mine dated someone who was not technically in his chain of command, but a lateral coworker in another department. The company found out, fired them both,” another user commented.