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Assignment 1: Consensual Relationship Agreements Case Study
Eric Alan Sewell
Professor
Organizational Behavior 520

Besides raising a few eyebrows, office romances can jeopardize your job security and put employers and co-workers on edge. If you find yourself drawn to an attractive co-worker, be aware of company policy and relatively new trends in office romance management. “These types of contracts have been around for about six or seven years. Before you consider another date with your new office partner, give some thought to what you might want to do if asked to sign one of these agreements. Basically, it’s an agreement to not pursue litigation against the employer if the relationship goes bad. Once two employees stop dating, one person may believe that the former partner no longer treats them fairly or ignores them when a promotion should be considered.
It’s at this point that the less senior employee could claim that a “hostile work environment” has evolved–and pursue litigation against the employer. According to Jones, “Most employers realize that it’s unwise to try and ban all office romances. However, they are very interested in preventing these relationships from having a negative impact on the workplace.” By having both parties sign a Consensual Relationship Agreement, the two parties will be put on active notice of their separate rights and responsibilities, both during the course of the relationship and after its possible demise.
Though some employees may be fearful of waiving future legal rights, Jones says, “Many people actually feel a bit relieved when asked to sign these contracts. They realize that others will be watching and try to help them protect their legal rights.” Fortunately, most employers have not found it necessary to intervene once these types of contracts have been signed.
Other questions still remain.