People working at laptops and a whiteboard

What polyamory can teach us about the workplace

Workplaces, like the rest of our lives, are full of relationships. Polyamory is a way of structuring multiple committed relationships. Ideally, we have many committed relationship at work as well. And sometimes the relationship or goals come into conflict with each other.

Healthy polyamory and the healthy workplace relationships both

  • Benefit from healthy boundaries. It’s much easier to function as a team when the boundaries around physical space, around time and around areas of responsibility are clear.
  • Require clear and explicit communication about needs, desires and arrangements. Who will do what by when is a great start. It’s also essential that everybody know what the collective goals are and what the personal goals are.
  • Need courage to confront inevitable conflict with grace and skill. Conflict will always arise. There will be competing priorities, or disagreements on how to achieve an outcome, or where to deploy resources. These conflicts need to be handled in a spirit of putting the people first.

What other parallels can you see between workplace relationships and intimate relationships?