What cognitive biases emerge when individuals are romantically involved with a peer or subordinate?
Romantic relationships between colleagues or superiors can create cognitive biases that impact their decision-making, judgement, and behavior towards each other and others. These biases arise from the power imbalance inherent in such relationships, which can cause them to be viewed through a lens of favoritism and prejudice. This may lead to unfair treatment of others based on personal feelings, resulting in negative outcomes for everyone. Understanding these biases is essential to avoid them, maintain professionalism, prevent conflicts, and protect oneself legally.
One bias that may occur in this context is the illusion of control. People tend to believe they have more influence over an outcome than they actually do. In a workplace relationship, this can manifest as an unwarranted sense of control over another's actions or decisions. It could result in one person attempting to manipulate the other into doing what they want, leading to conflict and even legal action.
If a manager attempts to pressure an employee into doing something unethical or illegal by threatening to fire them if they refuse, it would be considered sexual harassment.
Another bias is the self-serving bias, where people attribute positive events to themselves but negative events to external factors. If someone gets a promotion at work due to being romantically involved with a superior, they might assume it was because of their hard work rather than the relationship itself.
If they face repercussions for the relationship, they may blame it on the other person or the organization instead of accepting responsibility for their own choices. This can create animosity and resentment between parties, making it difficult to maintain healthy working relationships.
Self-attribution bias is when individuals attribute successes to internal factors like skills or effort but failures to external factors like luck or circumstance. When two coworkers date, each may become hyper-sensitive to praise or criticism from the other, leading to insecurity about their abilities. They may also interpret interactions differently, causing misunderstandings or hurt feelings. If they are not careful, these biases can impact their performance and lead to mistakes or missed opportunities.
The halo effect occurs when people judge others based solely on first impressions. In a workplace relationship, this bias can lead to infatuation with another's physical appearance or personality traits, ignoring more critical aspects such as character or compatibility. It could result in unfair treatment, favoritism, or even abuse, particularly if one person has power over the other.
A supervisor who only dates subordinates with certain physical attributes could be discriminating against those outside that type, potentially violating anti-discrimination laws.
Confirmation bias involves seeking out information that confirms preexisting beliefs while dismissing contradictory evidence. In a romantic context, it could manifest as selective attention towards positive aspects of a partner while downplaying negative ones. This could cause problems later if issues arise and one party does not acknowledge them, creating friction and possibly legal consequences.
Attribution error occurs when we assign responsibility for an action incorrectly. In a workplace relationship, this could mean blaming someone else for a mistake instead of taking responsibility ourselves. Suppose a superior blames an employee for something gone wrong due to their relationship status. That would create tension between them and undermine trust within the organization.
By recognizing these cognitive biases, individuals involved in workplace relationships can avoid them by acknowledging their limitations and communicating openly about any potential conflicts of interest. They must also maintain professional boundaries and consider how their decisions impact others in the organization. By doing so, they can protect themselves from legal repercussions and foster healthy working environments where everyone feels valued and respected.
What cognitive biases emerge when individuals are romantically involved with a peer or subordinate?
One of the most common cognitive biases that can occur when people are romantically involved with someone they work with is confirmation bias. This means that they seek out information or evidence that supports their preexisting belief that their relationship is appropriate and justified, while ignoring any contradictory information that may challenge this view. The result is that they become trapped in an echo chamber where only positive feedback about their relationship is received, making it difficult for them to objectively evaluate its pros and cons.