The love contract is a required document signed by the two employees in a consensual dating relationship that declares that the relationship is by consent.
Love contracts have been commonly used to follow the principle of “best person for the job” which is often violated due to sexual favoritism. Sexual favoritism is a relatively new term of art that refers to a situation in which an employee, often a female, receives promotions, awards, or other preferential treatment by an employer, typically a male, with whom the employee is involved in a sexual relationship.
These contracts are generally the rights between the two workers involved. However, a recent decision in California (Miller vs. the Department of Corrections) suggested that other workers might be able to sue.
Tanenbaum, who has written more than 100 love contracts for companies ranging from Fortune 500 firms to mom and pops, says he has seen a steady increase over the past decade. He usually receives a run of phone calls from skittish managers whenever a high-profile sexual harassment case hits the news. Even the Bill Clinton-Monica Lewinsky scandal was good for business.
However, many believe that the very label "love contract" is an oxymoron. For instance, Greg Godek, author of the best-selling book "1001 Ways to Be Romantic" said that "It’s a total abuse of the word 'love,' it's a cover-your- butt contract."
However, if signing love contract is mandatory by the employer, the question is:
In the typical progression of a relationship -- from establishing exclusivity to meeting family to saying "I love you" -- where exactly does "We must sign this legal document so we can protect our company in case I freak out and make your life a living hell" fit in?
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