Finally, explain to Susan that the co-employee may be bothering other employees even if he subsequently leaves her alone. Individual liability is a serious issue with regard to sexual harassment. Under many state laws, individuals do have liability, and it is common for supervisors, managers, or team leaders to be named in claims. Of course, many nonlegal consequences also underscore the seriousness of the issue. Public and private embarrassment, loss of management time, and discipline are very real potential consequences of supportable claims of sexual harassment.
Some organizations have antifraternization rules.
However, many employers ultimately regard dating of employees to be a personal decision, provided that it does not negatively affect the workplace. Unfortunately, dating between a supervisor and a supervised employee is supercharged with legal problems. If the employee rejects the advances and is later denied a promotion or disciplined, a question will exist as to whether the rejection was at least a partial motive for the decision. If the couple dates, sexual favoritism claims are possible. If the relationship ends on a less than a positive basis, any work-related problem has the potential for sexual harassment claim.