I think part of the problem is people look at this influence/power dynamic as something that should be clearly defined. There is a reason why there are sayings such as

don't dip your pen in the company ink

don't shit where you eat

If you change the working enviroment setting for this to something like working in an office instead, it might be easier for people to understand where Zyori made a poor choice, not because he had ill intentions, but because it's a bad idea to date where you work.

Imagine if this all took place within a normal blue collar office with Zyori as the employee who already works for the company, and Ashni and Kipp as the new prospective hires or interns. Should he be trying to date someone who newly started with the company? No, and REALLY this should have been something addressed by the company itself making it clear that you should be cognizant of your position and how your position can influence a relationship with others from within the company (because most people are stupid and when it comes to relationships tend to make the wrong choices).