"Love contracts" are an idea that has proved popular in the United States, particularly for senior staff, and they have now crossed the Atlantic. They are an attempt to get the employer off the hook for any potential sexual harassment cases, should your relationship turn sour in the future. You both sign an agreement which sets out how you will behave at work as well as warranting that your relationship is consensual, that you understand your employer’s sexual harassment policy. The implication is that your employer is then no longer liable for either of your conduct.
However, in the UK you can’t be made to sign away your rights to protection from sexual harassment in this fashion, and the existence of a “love contract” is unlikely to protect the company in a tribunal. Everyone is entitled to a private life, even whilst at work, and if your company is trying to get you to sign an agreement which restricts workplace relationships, this may fall foul of the Human Rights Act 1998. If your employer were to dismiss you for refusing to sign a “love contract”, and you had worked for the company for more than one year, you may have grounds for an unfair dismissal claim.
