CLEARING DATES THROUGH CORPORATE.

Senior executive Mark Wiseman recently was terminated from asset management firm BlackRock (where he was rumored to be next in line to be CEO) due to a consensual relationship with a coworker. Former McDonald's CEO Steve Easterbrook suffered a similar fate back in November.

The public scandals took a toll not only on the people involved but the companies and their shareholders, calling into question the concept of office dating policies and whether employers have the right to impose on their staff's love lives.

'The reality is that one in three Americans admits to dating a coworker," says Rob Wilson, president of Employco USA, Westmont, III. "Developing feelings for your coworkers is much more common than employers may like to admit but, in the #MeToo era, it's doubly important for companies to make sure that they are doing everything they can to keep their workplaces safe."

Wilson suggests the problems begin when offices do not have clear-cut dating policies and fraternization regulations. "The reason Wiseman was terminated from his position was not because he was simply dating a fellow BlackRock employee. The problem was that he did not reveal the relationship to his supervisors. This is required by BlackRock and many other companies. It may feel like an invasion...