Workplace romantic relationships: policy, tips and tricks

Love is great and all, but sometimes it can create chaos, especially in the workplace.

This is a complicated issue. The reality is that, as an employer, it's hard to prevent relationships from happening. After all, when there are people working together, sometimes during challenging times or long hours, chances are that feelings can develop. A positive relationship can even be encouraging and motivation for that couple to work harder together. But what happens when the relationship is prohibited, or the relationship turns sour?

In our recent blog post, we discussed how harassment in the workplace needs to be investigated, even if it is during off-duty hours. Click here to read more.

This time, we're talking about workplace romantic relationships. It's not illegal to be in love, but as an employer, it could be a nightmare to suddenly find out that two employees, maybe even in key positions, are in a prohibited relationship. Wink wink, nudge nudge, the Coldplay incident in summer 2025? It's been a while since the event, but let's try and unpack what employers can do to prevent incidents like this from happening.

So how do we address this? A policy might be useful.

• Prohibit relationships that have a power imbalance (e.g., managers dating subordinates).
• Require a disclosure requirement and recusal when necessary.
  • As opposed to straight up prohibiting relationships, as that might just wind up driving employees to "meet secretly," it might be more useful to require employees to disclose their relationship if it is with a co-worker. Although the disclosure may be mandatory, the privacy and confidentiality of any such disclosures should be kept confidential to the greatest extent possible.
  • Conduct a conflict-of-interest assessment and make reassignments as necessary.
  • Should an individual be in a position of authority, they should recuse themselves from doing performance reviews, compensation decisions or otherwise exercising decision-making authority with respect to their romantic partner.
  • Set clear boundaries and expectations of employee conduct including in the context of a workplace romantic relationship. Provide examples of when things could go wrong and how such incidents should be handled by the employees in the romantic relationship, as well as by management and HR.
• Implement a consequence for non-compliance.
  • Violation of the policy can lead to disciplinary action or even termination.
• Clarify and reiterate the importance of professionalism, anti-harassment, workplace safety and the protection of employees.
  • Involve HR, workplace safety teams, and legal counsel when necessary to ensure that the policy is properly drafted, legally compliant and aligns with the organization's anti-harassment and anti-violence policies, as required by occupational health and safety laws.

Why is this policy important?

Having policies that establish clear boundaries, expectations, and guidelines help prevent conflict of interests and facilitate a threshold standard of conduct. Workplace romantic relationships may also increase the risk of relationship drama and gossip, none of which is typically welcome and in fact often deteriorates the workplace culture. Drama and gossip can impact not only the couple themselves, but all of those around them.

In addition, recall that employers have a legal duty to maintain a harassment-free workplace. At times, unpleasant incidents arising from workplace romantic relationships can trigger or cause workplace or sexual harassment issues. Having a thoughtfully crafted policy can help minimize such harassment issues from occurring in the first place. After all, employers have a legal duty to appropriately address or investigate all instances of alleged workplace harassment or sexual harassment, with or without a formal complaint. Therefore, establishing complaint and investigation processes at the outset can help employers and employees alike manage any complaint or concern that may arise.

Aside from preventing harassment and investigating when necessary, a clear policy can prevent more day-to-day, "micro" situations where employees feel that a certain employee is a "favorite" or receives "special treatment." By setting clear boundaries and expectations, along with the reiteration of workplace safety and anti-harassment policies, this can protect employees from conflicts of interest, harassment, coercion, retaliation and/or any other inappropriate behaviour. Further, this policy, along with the employees' acknowledgements, can also mitigate the risks of legal claims against the business.

If the relationship ends poorly and it impacts the workplace, employers may want to investigate and take appropriate action, including reassigning the individuals or taking disciplinary action, if needed. If there are concerns about an employee's well-being, employers should consider if support can be offered or accommodation is necessary. Consider speaking with an employment lawyer for more information.

Takeaways:

The Coldplay incident may have been a surprise, but for employers, it is a wake-up call. Being prepared with a policy and measures in place is important. While workplace romance is not illegal, it could go down the wrong path and trigger legal consequences. As always, it is best practice to consult with an employment lawyer prior to making any decisions.