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As McDonald's CEO Learned, Workplace Romance Can Be Perilous

CHICAGO (CBS/AP) --  Workplace couples are often romanticized - think Bill and Melinda Gates or Michelle and Barack Obama.

But when the relationship involves two people with unequal power, it can also be fraught with peril, especially in the #MeToo era.

The CEO of Chicago-based McDonald's, Steve Easterbrook, is only the latest chief executive to be ousted over a consensual relationship with an employee.

Increasingly, U.S. companies are adopting policies addressing workplace romances, a trend that began well before the .MeToo movement galvanized a national conversation surrounding sexual misconduct.

Addressing workplace romance can be complicated, but many companies remove any gray areas by forbidding managers, especially C-suite executives, from having relationships with subordinates given the potential for favoritism or lawsuits if the relationship sours.

Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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