Employers must take a strategic approach when developing policies and practices addressing workplace romances between employees. While some employers may prefer to stay silent on the topic (neither forbidding nor allowing such relationships), ignoring the issue may lead to disastrous consequences. It may also rob employers of crucial defenses. For example, sexual harassment claims, which are the most common type of claims arising from workplace romances gone wrong, can be among the most costly and time-consuming claims to defend.

Employers can limit sexual harassment liability and other risks associated with workplace romance by taking several precautions, including:

Practical Law offers a collection of resources to help private employers develop plans for minimizing legal exposure from workplace romances. These resources characterize the various issues that may arise, strategies for dealing with complaints of sexual harassment, and steps employers can take to train supervisors and employees. For more information about preventing and responding to sexual harassment, see Sexual Harassment Toolkit, which includes the following key resources, among many others: