Segment 7: Don't Be Sexually Intimate at Work

Objectives

Students will:

1. Identify what constitutes unacceptable intimate behavior at work.
2. Understand the importance of refraining from intimate behavior at work.
3. Understand the negative impact on the organization of engaging in intimate behavior at work.
4. Understand how intimate behavior can disrupt the performance of employees engaged in this behavior.
5. Understand how intimate behavior can undermine morale and disrupt the performance and teamwork of co-workers.
6. Understand the importance of remaining in their work area.
7. Understand that engaging in intimate behavior at work can be grounds for dismissal.
8. Understand that intimate behavior is appropriate only in a private place away from work.
9. Understand that responsible, mature employees keep their intimate or romantic feelings under control at work.
10. Model successfully controlling intimate or romantic feelings for a co-worker.

Step 1: Lesson Introduction

Last time, we found out that an employer will not tolerate an employee using alcohol or other drugs at work. With most employers, you get no warnings or second chances if you do this. It's one strike and you're out.

The same can be true if you are involved in any intimate or sexual activity on the job. Clarify for students that this doesn't just mean sexual intercourse. Any kind of making out or excessive show of affection is inappropriate at work and can be grounds for immediate dismissal. Ask students why they think employers enforce such strict policies against on-the-job intimacy between co-workers.

Today we're going to see how you can get in trouble if you get too affectionate with a co-worker. We'll also see the proper way for two co-workers to control their romantic feelings for each other.

▶️ Show the video.

⏸️ Stop the video when the "Pause for Discussion" title appears on the screen.

Step 2: Guided Discussion, Part 1

What did the employees do that was not smart?

• Their behavior was too intimate for a workplace.
• They left their work area to go to an area that was not part of their jobs.

What happened to the employees because they were not smart?

They got fired.

Why was the employees' behavior unacceptable to the boss and to the organization?

One more time: When you're on company time, you're being paid to work. You're not there to socialize, to get a date, or to engage in intimate activity with a co-worker. The couple in the video was more interested in making out than in working. By leaving their work area, they created a problem for their boss. Instead of being available to do a task for him, they forced him to do it himself. Then he had to waste additional time tracking them down. All this lost time cost the company money. And organizations can't stay in business if they keep losing money.

Also, intimate behavior between co-workers can be a distraction to other workers. It can disrupt teamwork and undermine morale by forcing other employees to do more than their share of the work, to make up for the work not being done by intimate co-workers.

How could the employees have been JobSmart?

Have students discuss how the employees could have been JobSmart in the same situation. Then tell students to watch the next part of the video to see one way the employees could have been JobSmart.

▶️ Start the video again.

⏸️ Stop the video when the "Pause for Discussion" title appears on the screen.

Step 3: Guided Discussion, Part 2

How were the employees JobSmart this time?

• The girl told the guy that she really liked him, but she wasn't willing to do anything to risk her job.
• Both employees agreed to put off any intimate behavior until they were on their own time, not company time.

What happened because they were JobSmart?

• They returned to their work area. By doing this, they were available for any assignments their supervisor had for them.
• They also showed that they were responsible and mature enough to keep their feelings for each other under control while they were on company time.

Step 4: Activities

1. Invite employers from the community to discuss:
• How sexual or intimate behavior among employees can disrupt the productivity of the employees involved
• How sexual or intimate behavior among employees can disrupt morale and teamwork among co-workers
• Why sexual or intimate behavior among employees is unacceptable in their organizations and what grounds for termination
• Specific instances when they have had to terminate employees engaging in intimate behavior on the job.
2. Have students discuss situations when a romantic relationship has affected their concentration and disrupted their performance in school or on the job. Bring out the point that being in love or feeling affectionate for someone can be a wonderful experience; however, a personal relationship becomes the company's business when it interferes with an employee's performance on the job. Emphasize that our job as responsible, mature employees is to control our romantic feelings and to give our work our undivided attention when we're on company time.
3. Have students discuss why intimate behavior is not only unacceptable at work, it is inappropriate in any public place. Guide this discussion to a consensus that intimate behavior is appropriate only in primates.
4. Have students roleplay a conversation modeled after the second part of this video segment. Emphasize that this roleplay will involve no touching.
• Have students pair off and take turns playing the roles of the employee who wants to make out and the employee who wants to get back to work.
• Emphasize that, as in the video, in this roleplay both employees will act as if they have affectionate feelings for each other. This is not a sexual harassment roleplay, where an employee’s affection is not reciprocated. That topic will be addressed in a later video segment.
• After each roleplay, praise the employee who wanted to get back to work for successfully asserting him/ herself. Also, praise the other employee for agreeing to delay intimate behavior until both employees are on their own time, not company time.