Love Contracts Help Companies Manage Legal Risks of Workplace Romance

Romantic Relationship It can easily develop in the workplace, but it can be considered “troubled” in terms of legal liability, regardless of who is involved.

That’s according to trial lawyer and legal analyst Misty Marris.

In particular, if these relationships fail, it can lead to significant risks in the workplace, Maris said.

The conversation about proper office romance has grown steam in recent weeks after videos of former astronomer CEO Andy Byron and the company’s former chief people officer Christine Cabot snuggled in at a Cold Play concert. Social Media. Both Byron and Cabot recently resigned from the company.

Videos of Cabot and Byron at the Coldplay show in Foxborough, Massachusetts last week attracted attention. internet, They showed the duo wrapped in each other’s arms before trying to hide from the concert’s “kiss cam.”

Who is Andrew Cabot? Husband of the astronomer HR Chief and the head of private ram

“If you have subordinates in your relationship with a manager, or a high-level employee in the company, for example someone from C-Suite, there are inherent issues,” Marris said, noting that the issue is a dichotomy of power.

The same concern applies to people in the HR department as they are the person responsible for handling, investigating and determining employment-related complaints and issues.

Mita Malick, a workplace strategist, reflects this sentiment and tells Fox Business that promotion opportunities are considered a conflict of interest if problems arise when an individual encounters an impact on employee compensation, performance ratings and performance ratings.

According to Marris, this not only compromises the ability to act fairly, but also “the company has a real problem when there is a perception that HR is not acting objectively and neutrally because of personal relationships.”

An unpleasant couple caught on ColdPlay concert camera sends the internet into a frenzy of investigation

The contract of love

Maris said the best way for employers to combat the issues arising from office romance is to develop clear policies on disclosures of these relationships. According to Marris, this is sometimes called the covenant of love.

According to Marris, if the relationship is disclosed, HR will, together with a general counsel or an outside counsel, assess the risks associated with the relationship and make changes as necessary. There are several scenarios that you can play. For example, someone could move to another manager or change employee supervision. These things depend on the employee Each position within the company.

Guard rails can be installed

For example, Maris said that if there is a conflict of interest, HR personnel could be removed from the handling or implementation of investigations involving certain employees. moreover, Outside lawyer If there is a question about neutrality, it could be held to investigate complaints and employment-related issues, she added.

However, this is not a blanket approach. Maris explained that the structure works in large companies but could be “more challenging for smaller or more middle-market businesses that may not have staff or resources to tap others when there are potential issues.”

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The best way for employers and employees to avoid catastrophes is to “ensure that there are policies that require disclosure and that employees are transparent and adhere to those policies,” Maris said.

“While banning office romance may sound like the best bet, these policies are not practical in the real world, so it’s best to manage risk,” continued Maris.