Light Workplace Flirting Has Benefits

Even in the age of #MeToo, study finds not all workplace sexual banter is negative

Thanks to the #MeToo movement, companies have taken a hard look at sexual harassment in their workplaces and made changes to reduce the chances of these abuses happening. But do sweeping no tolerance policies hurt more than they help?

“Some flirting is happening, and it seems pretty benign.”

According to research in Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, not all sexual behavior in the workplace is negative. In fact, after surveying hundreds of workers in the United States, Canada, and the Philippines, researchers found that some sexual behaviors in the workplace can actually be beneficial because they relieve stress and help with insomnia.

“What we found is that when flirtation is enjoyed, it can offer some benefits: It makes people feel good about themselves, which can then protect them from stressors in their lives,” said lead researcher Leah Sheppard.

However, the researchers distinguish between innocent workplace flirting and sexual harassment. The behaviors they concluded have positive effects were flirtatious glances and comments about physical appearance. Also, they looked at sexual storytelling, like innuendos and jokes, which the survey respondents reported feeling neutral about.

“Some flirting is happening, and it seems pretty benign,” Sheppard explained. “Even when our study participants disliked the behavior, it still didn’t reach the threshold of sexual harassment. It didn’t produce higher levels of stress, so it is a very different conceptual space.”

“This is just something that probably organically happens.”

With this in mind, researchers concluded that zero tolerance policies about flirtatious behavior — such as NBC requiring that coworkers take separate cabs and Netflix limiting the amount of time coworkers can look at each other to five seconds — may actually do more harm than good. However, they noted that there was a power consideration when it came to these activities. Although workers may have gotten a self-esteem boost when flirtation occurred with someone on the same hierarchical level, when it came to someone in a superior position at work, it did indeed induce stress and completely change the dynamic.

“Zero-tolerance rules can add awkwardness into what are pretty naturally occurring behaviors within established friendships,” said Sheppard. “At the same time, we’re not encouraging managers to facilitate this behavior. This is just something that probably organically happens. Managers also should be careful in engaging in flirtation themselves, especially with anyone at a lower level. As soon as there’s a power imbalance, you risk entering the domain of what might be perceived as sexual harassment.”

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Sources:

Anderer, J. (2019, December 17). Colleagues With Benefits: Flirting With Co-Workers Can Help Reduce Stress, Study Finds. Study Finds. https://www.studyfinds.org/colleagues-with-benefits-flirting-with-co-workers-can-help-reduce-stress-study-finds/

Zaske, S. (2019, December 16). Study finds flirting among coworkers can reduce stress. Washington State University. https://news.wsu.edu/2019/12/16/study-finds-flirting-among-coworkers-can-reduce-stress/