No prudishness here. Sex is alive and well in the workplace. Many of these romances lead to marriage (55% by one count). It’s not new or even news. Office romance has become more common as other venues for meeting potential mates, like church or civic involvement, fade in importance. And few organizations actually have written or verbal policies governing office romance. So it’s pretty much open season, with the exception that extramarital affairs are still frowned upon.
And, of course, not all of this sex and romance is on the up and up. Thank you, Herman Cain, for keeping that thought foremost.
Update: This latest may be too much, even for Cain. Reports are he is reassessing his Presidential bid. I gotta think there’s some ‘splaining to do on the home front.
What’s got me curious, though, is the Trade Association angle. Because, you know, Herman’s biggest problems seem to stem from his trade association years. Am I right? Maybe not, but let’s look at this more closely.
Early in my career I had the opportunity to work at two separate Trade Associations. Each manager — both males — engaged in extracurricular affairs. Each with his executive assistant (these were small offices; often there was only one assistant). One man found his wife forcing him to hire a friend of hers, who took it as her personal duty to keep an eye on him. The affair persisted. The other man was served with an EEOC complaint, settled by a payout and the promise he would go into alcohol rehab.
Is there something about Trade Associations? Well, yes and no.
Let’s address “no,” first. One-third of all romantic relationships begin at work. A Careerbuilder.com survey, moreover, shows nearly 40% of employees say they have dated a co-worker at one point in their career. These results cut across industries. Sex and romance are everywhere; extramarital affairs are seldom far behind.
And now the “yes” part. Trade Associations are funny beasts that sit on the ledge between enterprise and government. They are industry-specific organizations, designed to promote the parochial interests of their industry. Though they can be influential, they don’t generally represent a step up the corporate ladder. Trade association managers, moreover, are recruited from top posts within the industry. Why should it be otherwise? Some of these same people, often men, bring a sense of privilege and entitlement with their corporate bona fides. For some, sex is a coin of the realm, a reward for making it to the top. The trade association environment only amplifies that sense.
They find themselves part of a smaller, more personal organization. They are a big fish in a small pond. The job itself is more social, entailing as it does both subtle and not-so-subtle lobbying on the behalf of their membership. There are more events. More women. More alcohol. More ego moments for the man in charge. Hitch that to a sense of privilege and entitlement and, well… Y’all got issues.
A real-world example is in order:
The trade association manager charged with the EEOC complaint had, in fact, had an extramarital sexual relationship with his previous executive assistant. That woman got married shortly thereafter and recommended that a friend of hers take over the position. Her friend took the job. When she arrived, the new assistant found the manager expected the same sexual perks from her. The two women were, after all, friends. They no doubt behaved in similar fashion. He would simply transfer his sense of entitlement from one woman to the other.
Oops.