An employee has been struggling with performance, out of character for her. Constantly on her phone and clearly upset. The HR manager stopped by to see if she could help.
“Oh,” says the employee, “I just broke up with my boyfriend and it’s really tough.”
No one knew this employee had a boyfriend, but that’s not a problem. No one is required to share their personal life at work.
Oh, wait, the boyfriend wasn’t human. It was an AI boyfriend.
This scenario landed in my inbox this morning, along with this plea: “WHAT ON EARTH WOULD YOU DO?”
Could this be someone trying to yank my chain? Sure. However, I’ve read enough to know that these virtual relationships are a thing, and personally, I think they are scary as hell; you should stay away from them at all costs.
But as an HR professional, what would I do? I’d treat this like any other breakup. I’d refer the employee to EAP, keep an eye on her, and try to support her through this. I would ensure she had the time off she needs for human therapy.
This is likely to become a more significant issue. You may think AI relationships are an out-of-workplace problem, but it will come into the office.
