Lessons from firing of McDonald's CEO: Rethink your 'romance policy'.

With people spending most of their waking hours in the workplace--and technology making that a 24/7 connection--it's no wonder workplace romances are hotter than ever. In fact, nearly half (48%) of American workers say they've dated a co-worker at some point, according to a new Reboot Digital Marketing survey of 2,500 adults.

A bright spotlight was shined on the issue last month after McDonald's fired its CEO for violating the company's policy against manager relationships with direct or indirect reports. (The HR chief departed one day later.) Last year, Intel's chief executive also stepped down after breaking his company's rules about relationships with subordinates.

While the Reboot survey found that 46% of organizations would prefer that their employees not date one another, putting a complete "no dating" ban is unworkable and unwise. It could also damage morale and be an affront to employees' privacy.

Instead, have your policy focus on the real culprit--the possibility for favoritism, discrimination and harassment.

4 tips to manage co-worker romance

1. Set a policy that bans relationships between supervisors and their subordinates. At the very least, require supervisors to notify you if they become involved in such "power-differentiated" relationships.

2. ...