Hm... you wrote your whole post assuming that the manager did something wrong <i>after</i> initiating the relationship (e.g. didn&#x27;t report the relationship, didn&#x27;t make sure the team was OK with it, didn&#x27;t take care of any potential conflicts of interest, ...). My point in mentioning marriage was just that <i>clearly</i>, the subordinate was OK with the whole relationship thing. So, after the fact, the flirting was <i>clearly</i> not wrong&#x2F;immoral&#x2F;inappropriate.<p>So, assuming <i>everything</i> was done correctly (&quot;by the book&quot;) <i>after</i> the relationship had begun, would you still consider flirting inappropriate in <i>all</i> circumstances?<p>&gt; 2.) I am a huge fan of written policy forbidding romantic relationships between a manager and his&#x2F;her direct reports.<p>In an ideal world, this would be awesome. In the real world, people fall in love unexpectedly (even if they don&#x27;t want to). What do you want them to do in that case? Repress their feelings, hide and lie about their relationship, quit their jobs hoping that it was worth it? I firmly believe that reasonable, emotionally mature people are able to handle relationships (and breakups) in a normal, not psychopathic or disturbing way.