EDITORIAL – Office lovin’ now in a contract

Forget about giving that homemade, heart-shaped valentine to your special someone at the… Forget about giving that homemade, heart-shaped valentine to your special someone at the office this Valentine’s Day. We have a much better idea. On this day of love, what more could an office amour ask for than a “consensual relationship agreement,” more commonly known as a “love contract.”

Love contracts are sort of like the office-relationship offspring of prenuptial agreements. Companies are now asking that when Cupid strikes in the office, the involved parties sign an agreement that declares the relationship to be both “voluntary” and “consensual,” according to a report by the Los Angeles Times.

The agreements, which are filed with a company’s human resources department, are intended to shield employers from liability if the relationship is later construed into a sexual harassment lawsuit.

A typical contract may state, “I know that this may seem silly or unnecessary to you, but