Not all is fair in love and work: coworkers' preferences for and responsesto managerial interventions regarding workplace romances

This article proposes a model of coworkers' preferences for and responses t o managerial interventions regarding workplace romances (WRs). Specifically , the model examines the antecedents of coworkers' preferences for manageri al intervention in WRs and the consequences of whether their preferred inte rvention is congruent with the actual managerial intervention. According to the model, coworkers' preferences for managerial intervention are influenc ed by their perceptions of the impact of the WR on the work environment, in cluding perceptions of whether it represents a conflict of interest for the two participants and whether it disrupts the functioning of the work group . These perceptions are affected by factors pertaining to the romance itsel f, the coworkers themselves, and the organizational context in which, the r omance occurs. Next, consistent with the organizational justice literature, we propose that coworkers will evaluate the distributive and procedural ju stice of the managerial intervention according to (a) the congruence betwee n the severity of their preferred managerial action and the severity of the actual managerial action and (b) the congruence between their beliefs abou t a just process for managerial decision making about WRs and the actual pr ocess. Finally, we propose that coworkers who perceive the managerial inter vention process and outcomes as unjust will exhibit negative work-related a ttitudes (e.g., decreased job satisfaction and organizational commitment) a nd behavior (e.g., decreased productivity and organizational citizenship be haviors). Implications of the model for future research and organizational practice are discussed. Copyright (C) 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.