The White House is so concerned about the “baby bust” that they are floating ideas on how to increase births. Given that so many relationships are nurtured at work, getting HR off our backs would help.
There are many complex social, economic, and cultural reasons for the drop in birth rates: educational attainment, careers, misogamy (anti-marriage), higher rates of infertility in those who delay, a reduction in office happy-hours gatherings, downplaying the crucial role of parents in nurturing families that underpin civil society… to name a few. But let’s not overlook the soul- and romance-destroying dictates emanating from Inhuman Resource departments.
First, let’s stipulate what should be obvious (except to many DEI-infected H.R. twerps): women have the unique ability to have babies. Women! Not birthing people. Not inseminated people. Not menstruating people. Women.
While it may be stale, sterile, and stupefying in many H.R. offices, the effervescent cupid once flittered to and fro throughout many organizations. Indeed, courtship used to blossom in the workplace; nowadays, H.R. departments have everyone walking on eggshells rather than sunshine. Even casual winks and knowing nods meet their oppressive criteria for perpetuating a hostile work environment. And just forget about innocuous innuendos — even if the object is enamored, a vengeful bystander is now empowered to take offense, leveraging catch-all regulations.
In the workplace, cupid’s wings were trimmed. For example, many potential relationships might have flourished had not a rule prevented employees from asking coworkers out more than once. Once! Whosoever is amorous does not give up after one measly attempt. That simply contradicts nature, and puts a real damper on courting rituals that often involve playing coy, at least to begin with.
Supposedly, there are now somewhat looser policies on workplace dating, but it’s not enough, and it will take time to recapture a semblance of common sense. For now, it is only prudent for trapped employees to be wary of H.R. departments that are immersed in woke orthodoxy. After all, they sometimes retroactively apply the spirit — if not the letter — of new rules. At levels below the C-suite, they just can’t be trusted by average employees — they’re even rebranding DEI, such is their dire deviousness.
Workplace romances were once a top source of marriage. In the 1980s, about 25% of couples met at work. It’s now about 12%, which correlates with declines in marriage. Per this HR blog, “people are twice as likely to marry someone they meet at work than they are through a dating app!”
Despite a very gradual decline in “no fraternization” policies, employee ethos in many organizations is sensibly distrustful of HR departments abusing “catch-all” codes of conduct. Clearly, inhuman resource twerps need to ease restrictions on workplace dating rules, while increasing restrictions on frivolous (including by bystanders) complaints from busybody ballbusters.
Common sense and decency requires continued enforcement of quid pro quo sexual harassment rules, but the hostile work environment component can be confusingly nebulous, and often off kilter. In specific cases, HR can intervene if proven that personal relationships undermine group morale and performance, but there probably doesn’t need to be a blanket rule like “only ask once.” What if the apple of one’s eye takes a rain check, does that count? It’s time for the pendulum to swing back to equilibrium.
Want more babies? Well, someone’s true colors often shine at work, which can be a great place to assess the worthiness of a potential mate (if outside one’s immediate chain of command). Just get HR off our backs.
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Image: SVG SILH
This article was originally published at www.americanthinker.com
