PORTLAND, Ore. – A lot of people seem less interested in the alleged extortion attempt against David Letterman and more focused on whether he should have been in a relationship with a woman at work.
There are a lot of different opinions when it comes to dipping into the company love pool.
“Well, I can tell you right now from experience, dating people you work with is a bad idea,” said one patron of several who were interviewed at Henry's Tavern in the Pearl District.
For some, however, things turned out all right.
“The first woman I dated at work became my fiancée, but we never got married. And the second girl I dated at work is now my wife,” said Peter Davidson.
David Griggs is an employment attorney and said most companies don't completely prohibit office connections anymore, but dating the boss or the other way around is still a faux pas.
Occasionally, that lands people in his office for sexual harassment lawsuits.
“It's a situation where there's a natural power relationship and when people take advantage of those relationships, the law often steps in and does something about,” he said.
“Typically, if it's completely consensual and voluntary, it's really nobody's business.”
Trouble can also come if other employees think the love interest is getting special treatment.
“It does get tricky,” said Pam Done. “There's a lot of gossip that goes on in a job, lots of rumors.”
Amanda Rhine, who has dated at work, said it can become a distraction.
“It just makes it really messy when you're trying to work and you can't really focus on work,” she said.
One survey found nearly half of boss-employee relationships end in marriage because the couple gets to know each other and they have common interests.
A new trend for companies is to require dating employees to sign “love contracts”, which protects companies from lawsuits.
