Free love contract templates: peer, supervisor and subordinate, disclosure form, policy, conflict plan, and end-of-relationship notice. DOCX, no signup.
Love Contract Templates (Consensual Relationship Agreements)
Six free consensual relationship agreement templates for US small business: a peer to peer love contract, a supervisor and subordinate version, a one-page disclosure form, a companion policy, a conflict of interest management plan, and an end-of-relationship notice. Built around welcomeness evidence and the conflict fix, with the non-waiver clause generic templates skip. Download as DOCX. No signup.
The first time this landed on my desk, two people on a small team told me they had been together for four months, and one of them had written the other's last performance review. Nobody had done anything wrong. There was also nothing in writing saying the relationship was voluntary, nothing showing either of them knew where to complain, and nothing showing the review had moved to somebody else. That gap is what a consensual relationship agreement, the document most people call a love contract, is for.
It is more common than the awkwardness suggests. SHRM research published in February 2026 found that nearly half of employees, 47 percent, are currently in or have previously been in a workplace romance, and that 45 percent of workers have hidden a relationship from HR. Meanwhile only about a third of HR professionals say their organization has a clear, structured policy for it. The paperwork gap is not unusual. It is the default.
There are six templates here: a peer to peer love contract, a supervisor and subordinate version, a one-page disclosure form, a companion policy, a conflict of interest management plan, and an end-of-relationship notice. Each downloads as an editable Word document, free and without an email, and each includes the non-waiver language and the second complaint route that generic versions leave out.
TL;DR
A love contract, properly a consensual relationship agreement, is a short document two employees in a romantic relationship sign to confirm it is voluntary and welcome, acknowledge the harassment and conflict-of-interest policies, and restate how to complain. It is evidence, not immunity, and it cannot waive a future claim. Six free DOCX templates below.
What a Love Contract Is
A love contract is a short document that two employees in a romantic relationship sign, confirming the relationship is voluntary and welcome, acknowledging that the company policies still apply, and restating how to raise a concern. The employer issues it, usually right after one of the two discloses.
It does three jobs and no more. It records that the relationship was welcome on the date it was signed, which is the question a harassment claim turns on. It proves the anti-harassment policy and the complaint routes were received. And it forces the conflict of interest into the open so somebody has to decide what changes.
What it is not is a contract between the two people. Neither of them owes the other anything under it, and it cannot make a relationship continue or a claim disappear. Treated as a release, it fails and looks bad doing it. Treated as dated evidence and an acknowledgment, it earns its place in the file.
Half the Workforce, a Third of the Policies
SHRM research published February 11, 2026 found that 47 percent of employees are currently in or have previously been in a workplace romance, and that 56 percent have hidden at least one relationship from their team, 49 percent from their manager, and 45 percent from HR. Among HR professionals, more than a third report a clear, structured policy, 30 percent handle it case by case, and 20 percent have no formal policy at all. This is general information, not legal advice.
Love Contract vs Consensual Relationship Agreement
There is no difference between the two names. Consensual relationship agreement is what it is called in a handbook, and love contract is what people call it in the hallway. Workplace relationship acknowledgment and relationship disclosure agreement describe the same instrument again.
The register does matter for one practical reason. Handing someone a document titled "love contract" sets a tone that makes a serious conversation harder to have. The templates here use the formal name on the page and reserve the informal one for explaining what it is.
Types of Relationship Agreement
Six documents cover the whole sequence. The disclosure form starts it, the agreement records the acknowledgment in either a peer or a supervisor version, and the conflict plan records the fix. The policy is the handbook rule they all point back to, and the end-of-relationship notice closes the file.
Document
Who signs
When to use it
Peer to peer agreement
Two employees, same level
A relationship with no reporting line either way
Supervisor and subordinate agreement
Manager, employee, and a company representative
Any relationship that crosses a reporting line
Disclosure form
Either employee, second signature optional
The first step: telling you a relationship exists
Consensual relationship policy
Adopted company-wide
The handbook rule the agreements point back to
Conflict of interest plan
Both employees and the employer
Recording which decisions moved, and to whom
End of relationship notice
Either employee
Closing the file when the relationship ends
Most situations need two of the six. A peer relationship usually needs the disclosure form and nothing else. A relationship across a reporting line needs the supervisor agreement and the conflict plan, and it needs the decisions actually moved before either one is signed.
What a Love Contract Includes
A complete agreement covers four groups: the parties and the relationship, the policy acknowledgment, the conflict of interest, and the rights and closing terms. The groups below are what strong versions share, and the fourth is where most free templates thin out.
Parties and the relationship
Full legal entity name
Both names, titles, and departments
Voluntary and welcome statement
Policy acknowledgment
Anti-harassment policy received
Code of conduct and conflict rules
No preferential treatment
Conflict of interest
No decisions about each other
Reporting line or authority change
Conduct expectations at work
Rights and closing
Two complaint routes, one independent
No waiver of any legal right
Signatures, dates, and a review date
Two clauses do more work than the rest. The first is a second complaint route, named on the page, that does not run through either person in the relationship, which matters most when one of them is the manager. The second is the non-waiver line: an explicit statement that nothing in the document limits the right to file a charge, participate in an investigation, or report conduct believed to be unlawful.
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Match the document to the reporting line. No reporting line means the disclosure form, and the peer agreement if you want the acknowledgment on file. A reporting line in either direction means the supervisor version plus the conflict plan, every time.
Peer to Peer Agreement
No reporting line
The standard love contract for two colleagues at the same level: voluntary and welcome statement, policy acknowledgment, conduct expectations, both complaint routes, and an explicit non-waiver clause.
Supervisor and Subordinate Agreement
Highest exposure
For a relationship that crosses a reporting line. Adds a private conversation before signing, a decision-authority transfer, a complaint route that does not run through the manager, and a review date.
Relationship Disclosure Form
The first step
A one-page form either person can submit to tell you a relationship exists, with checkboxes for the working overlap and a company-use section for the action taken. Often all a peer situation needs.
Consensual Relationship Policy
Companion
The handbook policy the agreements point back to: what must be disclosed, how to disclose it, how the company responds, the harassment and welcomeness reminder, and the consequence of hiding a conflict.
Conflict of Interest Management Plan
The cure
The document that records what you actually changed: which decisions moved, to whom, effective when, whether the reporting line changed, who knows, and the date the arrangement gets reviewed.
End of Relationship Notice
Closing the file
A short form for when a disclosed relationship ends: whether the conflict plan lifts or stays, a no-change-in-standing statement, and a written reminder that the complaint routes remain open.
Start With the Policy and the Disclosure Form
Two documents get most small businesses to a defensible position: the Consensual Relationship Policy in the employee handbook, so people know what has to be disclosed, and the one-page Disclosure Form, so there is an easy way to do it. Add the Peer to Peer Agreement when you want the acknowledgment on file, and the Supervisor and Subordinate Agreement plus the Conflict of Interest Management Plan whenever a reporting line is involved. Keep the End of Relationship Notice ready, because complaints often arrive at that moment. Whichever you use, name a second complaint route and keep the non-waiver clause intact.
6 Free Love Contract Templates
Download all six as a single set or grab individual templates. Each downloads as an editable DOCX with the clauses, brackets, checkboxes, and signature blocks already in place, free and with no signup. Fill in your legal entity name, the two complaint routes, and the decisions being transferred, and it is ready to sign.
Download All 6 Relationship Agreement Templates
A peer to peer love contract, a supervisor and subordinate version, a disclosure form, a companion policy, a conflict of interest plan, and an end-of-relationship notice. All as DOCX files in one download.
Template 1: Consensual Relationship Agreement (Peer to Peer)
The standard love contract for two colleagues at the same level: the voluntary and welcome statement, policy acknowledgment, conduct expectations, both complaint routes, and an explicit non-waiver clause.
Consensual Relationship Agreement (Peer to Peer)
CONSENSUAL RELATIONSHIP AGREEMENT (PEER TO PEER)
[Company legal name] ("the Company")
Employee A: __ Title: _ Dept: _
Employee B: __ Title: _ Dept: _
Relationship disclosed on: _ Agreement date: _
Use this version when neither person supervises, evaluates, or influences pay, promotion,
or scheduling for the other. If a reporting line runs either way, use the supervisor and
subordinate version instead.
1. VOLUNTARY AND WELCOME RELATIONSHIP
We each confirm that our relationship is voluntary, consensual, and welcome to both of us.
Neither of us entered it because of pressure, a promise, or a threat connected to work,
and neither of us holds authority over the other's employment.
2. POLICY ACKNOWLEDGMENT
We have each received, read, and understood the Company's anti-harassment,
anti-discrimination, and code of conduct policies. Those policies apply to us in full.
Nothing in this Agreement softens them or excuses conduct they prohibit.
3. CONDUCT AT WORK
We will keep the relationship out of the workplace: no displays of affection on Company
premises or at Company events, no personal use of Company systems beyond what the
technology policy allows, and no conduct that disrupts colleagues or the work. We will not
share Company confidential information with each other outside our roles.
4. NO PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT
Neither of us will seek or accept preferential treatment because of the relationship.
Neither of us will take part in a decision about the other's hiring, pay, promotion,
discipline, schedule, training, or performance review. If such a decision reaches either
of us, we will disclose it to [name and title] and step aside.
5. IF CONDUCT BECOMES UNWELCOME
If conduct connected to the relationship becomes unwelcome to either of us at any point,
we will say so directly and report it to [name and title] or, as an alternative route,
to [second name, title, or email]. Either of us may report at any time, during the
relationship or after it ends, and may use either route.
6. NO RETALIATION
The Company prohibits retaliation against anyone who reports a concern, participates in an
investigation, or declines to continue a personal relationship. Ending this relationship is
not a performance matter and will not affect either person's employment, pay, or schedule.
7. NO WAIVER OF RIGHTS
This Agreement waives no right either of us holds under federal, state, or local law.
Nothing here limits the right to file a charge with a government agency, to testify,
assist, or participate in an agency investigation, or to report conduct reasonably believed
to be unlawful. Nothing here limits rights under Section 7 of the National Labor Relations
Act to discuss wages, hours, and working conditions. This Agreement does not create a
contract of employment and does not change the at-will nature of employment.
8. CHANGES AND END OF THE RELATIONSHIP
We will notify [name and title] within [5] business days if the relationship ends, or if
either of our roles changes so that one of us begins to supervise, evaluate, or set pay for
the other.
9. SIGNATURES
Employee A signature: __ Date: _
Print name: __
Employee B signature: __ Date: _
Print name: __
Company representative: __ Date: _
Title: __
DISCLAIMER: This is a sample template for general information only and is not legal
advice. State and local law affects what an employer may ask about off-duty relationships.
Have a qualified professional review before use.
Template 2: Supervisor and Subordinate Relationship Agreement
For the situation that carries real exposure. Adds a private conversation before signing, a decision-authority transfer, a complaint route that does not run through the manager, and a review date.
Supervisor and Subordinate Relationship Agreement
CONSENSUAL RELATIONSHIP AGREEMENT (SUPERVISOR AND SUBORDINATE)
[Company legal name] ("the Company")
Manager: __ Title: _ Dept: _
Employee: __ Title: _ Dept: _
Reporting line: [ ] Direct [ ] Indirect (through _)
Relationship disclosed on: _ Agreement date: _
Use this version whenever one person supervises, evaluates, or influences the pay,
promotion, schedule, or discipline of the other, directly or through a chain. Pair it with
the Conflict of Interest Management Plan, which records who takes over each decision.
1. BEFORE SIGNING
The employee has been offered the opportunity to speak privately with [name and title], who
is not the manager named above and is not in that manager's reporting chain, before signing.
Signing is not a condition of continued employment. Declining to sign is not a performance
matter and will not be held against either person.
Employee confirms this opportunity was offered: [ ] Yes [ ] Declined
2. VOLUNTARY AND WELCOME RELATIONSHIP
We each confirm that the relationship is voluntary, consensual, and welcome to both of us,
that it did not begin because of a request, a promise, or a threat connected to work, and
that no employment decision has been made or withheld because of it.
3. POLICY ACKNOWLEDGMENT
We have each received, read, and understood the Company's anti-harassment,
anti-discrimination, conflict of interest, and code of conduct policies, and we understand
they apply in full. The manager acknowledges the heightened responsibility that comes with
supervisory authority.
4. REPORTING LINE AND DECISION AUTHORITY
Effective [date], the manager is removed from every employment decision affecting the
employee, including performance review, pay and bonus, promotion, discipline, scheduling
and time-off approval, assignment of work, and access to the employee's personnel records.
Those decisions transfer to [name and title]. The reporting line changes as follows:
[describe the new reporting line, or state that reporting is unchanged and only decision
authority moved, and why that arrangement is sufficient].
5. CONDUCT AT WORK
We will keep the relationship out of the workplace: no displays of affection on Company
premises or at Company events, no closed-door meetings that have no business purpose, and
no personal use of Company systems beyond what the technology policy allows. Neither of us
will share Company confidential information, including compensation or personnel
information, outside our roles.
6. NO PREFERENTIAL OR ADVERSE TREATMENT
Neither of us will seek or accept preferential treatment because of the relationship, and
the manager will not treat the employee, or anyone else on the team, less favorably because
of it. Colleagues may raise a concern about favoritism to [name and title] without penalty.
7. IF CONDUCT BECOMES UNWELCOME
If conduct connected to the relationship becomes unwelcome at any point, either of us will
report it to [name and title] or, as an alternative route, to [second name, title, or
email]. At least one route does not run through the manager named above. Reports may be
made during the relationship or after it ends.
8. NO RETALIATION
The Company prohibits retaliation against anyone who reports a concern, participates in an
investigation, or declines to continue a personal relationship. If the relationship ends,
the employee's pay, schedule, assignments, and standing will not change because of it.
9. NO WAIVER OF RIGHTS
This Agreement waives no right either of us holds under federal, state, or local law.
Nothing here limits the right to file a charge with a government agency, to testify,
assist, or participate in an agency investigation, or to report conduct reasonably believed
to be unlawful, including harassment, discrimination, or retaliation. Nothing here limits
rights under Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act. This Agreement does not create
a contract of employment and does not change the at-will nature of employment.
10. REVIEW AND END OF THE RELATIONSHIP
This Agreement and the conflict plan will be reviewed on [date, suggested six months]. We
will notify [name and title] within [5] business days if the relationship ends or if either
role changes.
11. SIGNATURES
Employee signature: __ Date: _
Print name: __
Manager signature: __ Date: _
Print name: __
Company representative (not the manager): __ Date: _
Title: __
DISCLAIMER: This is a sample template for general information only and is not legal
advice. A relationship that crosses a reporting line carries the most legal exposure of
any workplace relationship. Have a qualified professional review before use.
Template 3: Workplace Relationship Disclosure Form
A one-page form either person can submit, with checkboxes for the working overlap and a company-use section recording the action taken. Often the only document a peer situation needs.
Workplace Relationship Disclosure Form
WORKPLACE RELATIONSHIP DISCLOSURE FORM
[Company legal name]
Submitted by: __ Title: _ Date: _
This one-page form is the first step. It tells the Company a relationship exists so any
conflict of interest can be handled. It is not an agreement and it is not an admission of
anything. Either person may submit it; both may sign if they prefer.
1. WHO
Employee A: __ Title: _ Dept: _
Employee B: __ Title: _ Dept: _
Nature of the relationship: [ ] Romantic [ ] Dating [ ] Spouse or partner
[ ] Family member [ ] Other: _
2. WORKING RELATIONSHIP (CHECK ALL THAT APPLY)
[ ] One of us reports directly to the other
[ ] One of us reports indirectly to the other through a chain
[ ] One of us influences the other's pay, bonus, or promotion
[ ] One of us influences the other's schedule, assignments, or time off
[ ] One of us takes part in the other's performance review or discipline
[ ] One of us has access to the other's personnel or compensation records
[ ] We work on the same team but none of the above applies
[ ] We work in unrelated departments and none of the above applies
3. WHAT WE ARE ASKING FOR
[ ] Nothing beyond this notice
[ ] A change in reporting line or decision authority
[ ] A change in team, shift, or assignment
[ ] Guidance on what to do next
Anything the Company should know: ___
4. WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
This form goes to [name and title] and is kept confidential to the extent possible,
separate from the personnel file, and shared only with those who need it to manage a
conflict of interest. Disclosure will not be used against either of you, and the Company
prohibits retaliation for making it.
5. SIGNATURES
Employee A signature: __ Date: _
Employee B signature (optional): __ Date: _
FOR COMPANY USE ONLY
Received by: __ Date: _
Conflict of interest identified: [ ] Yes [ ] No
Action taken: [ ] None needed [ ] Conflict plan opened [ ] Agreement signed
Decision authority transferred to: __ Effective: _
Review date: _
DISCLAIMER: This is a sample form for general information only and is not legal advice.
State law limits what an employer may ask about off-duty conduct. Have a qualified
professional review before use.
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The handbook policy the agreements point back to: what must be disclosed, how to disclose it, how the company responds, the welcomeness reminder that ties back to your harassment policy, and the consequence of hiding a conflict.
Consensual Relationship Policy (Companion)
CONSENSUAL RELATIONSHIP POLICY
[Company Name]
Effective date: _ Policy owner: __
This policy is the rulebook. The agreement and disclosure form are how it is applied to a
specific pair of people. Adopt the policy in the handbook first, then use the forms.
1. PURPOSE AND SCOPE
[Company Name] does not prohibit consensual relationships between employees. It does
require that relationships which create a conflict of interest be disclosed and managed.
This policy applies to all employees, including part-time, temporary, and contract workers
engaged through the Company.
2. WHAT MUST BE DISCLOSED
Disclosure is required when a romantic or intimate relationship exists between two people
where one supervises, evaluates, disciplines, sets the pay of, approves the schedule of, or
has access to the personnel records of the other, directly or through a reporting chain.
Disclosure is also required for a relationship between an owner or officer and any
employee. Relationships with no such overlap are not required to be disclosed, though
employees may choose to.
3. HOW TO DISCLOSE
Either person may disclose by submitting the Workplace Relationship Disclosure Form to
[name and title], or to [alternate name, title, or email] if the first route is not
appropriate. Disclosure is kept confidential to the extent possible and shared only with
those who need it to manage the conflict.
4. HOW THE COMPANY RESPONDS
The Company will remove the conflict rather than the people wherever it can. Options
include transferring decision authority to another manager, changing a reporting line,
moving an assignment or shift, or, where no other option works, discussing a role change
with both employees. Neither person will be terminated solely because a disclosed
relationship exists.
5. CONDUCT EXPECTATIONS
Employees in a relationship will keep it out of the workplace, will not seek or accept
preferential treatment, will not take part in employment decisions about each other, and
will not share confidential Company information outside their roles. Ordinary
professionalism is the standard, and it applies equally to both people.
6. HARASSMENT AND WELCOMENESS
A relationship that begins as consensual can stop being welcome. Any employee who
experiences unwelcome conduct, at any point, should report it under the anti-harassment
policy. A prior relationship, and any signed agreement, does not limit that right or make
later conduct acceptable.
7. NO RETALIATION
The Company prohibits retaliation against anyone who discloses a relationship, reports a
concern, participates in an investigation, or ends a personal relationship. Nothing in this
policy limits employees' rights under Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act to
discuss wages, hours, and working conditions or to act together for mutual aid or
protection.
8. FAILURE TO DISCLOSE
Failure to disclose a relationship that this policy requires to be disclosed, or taking
part in an employment decision about a partner, may result in corrective action up to and
including termination. The issue is the undisclosed conflict, not the relationship.
9. ACKNOWLEDGMENT
Employees acknowledge this policy as part of the employee handbook acknowledgment.
DISCLAIMER: This is a sample policy for general information only and is not legal advice.
Several states restrict employer control over lawful off-duty conduct. Have a qualified
professional review before use.
Template 5: Conflict of Interest Management Plan
The document that records what you actually changed: which decisions moved, to whom, effective when, whether the reporting line changed, who needs to know, and the date it gets reviewed.
Conflict of Interest Management Plan
CONFLICT OF INTEREST MANAGEMENT PLAN (WORKPLACE RELATIONSHIP)
[Company legal name]
Employee A: __ Title: _
Employee B: __ Title: _
Prepared by: __ Title: _ Date: _
Effective date: _ Review date: _
An agreement records what two people promise. This plan records what the Company actually
changed. It is the document that shows a conflict was cured rather than only noted.
1. THE CONFLICT
Describe the overlap in plain terms: who holds authority over whom, and over which
decisions. [Example: Employee A is the direct manager of Employee B and currently sets
Employee B's performance rating, merit increase, and schedule.]
[ ] Reporting line unchanged; only decision authority moved. Explain why that is enough:
[ ] Employee B now reports to __ effective _
[ ] Other structural change: __
4. WHO KNOWS
The plan is shared with [names and titles] on a need-to-know basis so the transferred
decisions actually land with the right person. The reason for the change is not disclosed
more broadly. If the team needs an explanation, use: [neutral wording, for example
"reviews for this team are moving to (name) this cycle"].
5. HOW COMPLAINTS ARE ROUTED
Any concern from either employee, or from a colleague about favoritism, goes to
[name and title] or, as an alternative route, to [second name, title, or email]. Neither
route runs through a person in the relationship.
6. REVIEW
This plan will be reviewed on [date] and whenever a role, reporting line, or team changes.
The reviewer confirms the transferred decisions are being made by the named person, that no
concern has been raised, and that the plan still fits the current structure.
Reviewed on: _ By: __ Outcome: _
7. SIGNATURES
Employee A: __ Date: _
Employee B: __ Date: _
Company representative: __ Date: _
DISCLAIMER: This is a sample template for general information only and is not legal
advice. Have a qualified professional review before use.
Template 6: End of Relationship Notice and Reaffirmation
A short form for when a disclosed relationship ends: whether the conflict plan lifts or stays, a no-change-in-standing statement, and a written reminder that the complaint routes are still open.
End of Relationship Notice and Reaffirmation
END OF RELATIONSHIP NOTICE AND REAFFIRMATION
[Company legal name]
Employee A: __ Title: _
Employee B: __ Title: _
Original agreement dated: _ Notice date: _
Use this short form to close the file when a disclosed relationship ends. It exists so the
Company knows the situation changed, so the conflict plan is either lifted or kept
deliberately, and so both people are reminded, in writing, that the complaint routes are
still open.
1. NOTICE
The relationship disclosed on [date] has ended as of [date]. This notice may be submitted
by either person, and does not require both signatures.
2. WHAT HAPPENS TO THE CONFLICT PLAN
[ ] The Conflict of Interest Management Plan dated [date] remains in effect. Reason:
[ ] The plan ends effective [date] and decision authority returns to _.
Both employees have been informed and neither has raised an objection.
[ ] A new plan is being prepared.
A reporting line is not restored automatically. Restoring one is a deliberate decision, made
by [name and title], only where both employees are comfortable and the arrangement still
functions.
3. NO CHANGE IN STANDING
Neither person's pay, schedule, assignments, standing, or opportunities will change because
the relationship ended. The Company prohibits retaliation, and a decision that follows this
notice will be documented with its business reason.
4. THE COMPLAINT ROUTES ARE STILL OPEN
Either person may report unwelcome conduct at any time, including conduct that occurred
during the relationship, to [name and title] or, as an alternative route, to [second name,
title, or email]. The earlier agreement waived nothing and does not limit that right in any
way.
5. ACKNOWLEDGMENT
Submitted by: __ Date: _
Second employee (optional): __ Date: _
Received by: __ Title: _ Date: _
DISCLAIMER: This is a sample form for general information only and is not legal advice.
Complaints often arise in the period right after a workplace relationship ends. Have a
qualified professional review before use.
When to Ask for One, and When Not To
Ask for a signed agreement when the relationship crosses a decision boundary, and stop at a disclosure form when it does not. The trigger is authority over the other person's pay, review, discipline, schedule, or records, not the relationship itself.
Situation
What to use
Why
Manager and direct report
Supervisor agreement plus conflict plan
Highest exposure; decision authority has to move first
Manager and someone lower in the same chain
Supervisor agreement plus conflict plan
Indirect authority still reaches pay and promotion
Two peers on the same team
Disclosure form, agreement optional
No decisions overlap; a dated record is enough
Two employees in unrelated departments
Disclosure form only, or nothing
Nothing to manage; extra paperwork adds no protection
Owner or officer with any employee
Supervisor agreement plus outside review
No internal complaint route is truly independent
A disclosed relationship ends
End of relationship notice
A high-risk moment for complaints; standing must not change
The mistake worth avoiding is the blanket rule. Requiring every dating pair in the building to sign a formal contract collects information you then have to act on consistently, and it makes disclosure feel like a punishment, which is exactly how relationships stop being disclosed at all. Ask for the paperwork where the conflict is.
A Signature Under Pressure Is Weak Evidence
The document exists to show a relationship was freely chosen. If the junior person felt they had no real choice about signing, that evidence is worth much less. Offer them a private conversation with someone outside the reporting chain first, state on the form that signing is not a condition of continued employment, and record that the offer was made. In Faragher v. City of Boca Raton, no affirmative defense is available at all where harassment culminates in a tangible employment action such as discharge, demotion, or undesirable reassignment. This is general information, not legal advice.
The Legal Details Templates Skip
This is where a free love contract either earns its keep or quietly creates a problem. Four points separate a document that helps you from one that reads like an attempt to buy silence.
It is evidence of welcomeness, not a waiver
A harassment claim under Title VII turns on whether the conduct was unwelcome. A consensual relationship agreement is contemporaneous evidence that on the day it was signed, both people said the relationship was welcome and neither was pressured. That is genuinely useful, and it is the whole of what the document does. What it cannot do is release a future claim. EEOC guidance on waivers states plainly that no agreement between an employee and an employer can limit the right to testify, assist, or participate in an agency investigation, that any provision attempting to waive those rights is invalid and unenforceable, and that a waiver must not cover rights and claims arising after the date it is signed. A love contract drafted as a release is not just useless, it reads badly to everyone who later looks at it. This is general information, not legal advice.
Faragher and Ellerth: the defense the agreement supports
In Faragher v. City of Boca Raton (1998), the Supreme Court held an employer vicariously liable for a supervisor’s harassment, subject to an affirmative defense when no tangible employment action resulted. The defense has two elements: the employer exercised reasonable care to prevent and correct promptly any harassing behavior, and the employee unreasonably failed to take advantage of the preventive or corrective opportunities the employer provided. A signed agreement that records the anti-harassment policy was received and names the specific complaint routes feeds both elements at once. The limit matters as much: no defense is available where the harassment culminates in a tangible employment action such as discharge, demotion, or undesirable reassignment, which is one more reason to move pay and review authority off the manager. This is general information, not legal advice.
Fix the reporting line, or the paper does not matter
The most common failure is a signed agreement filed on top of an unchanged org chart. If a manager still writes the review, sets the raise, approves the schedule, or decides the discipline for the person they are dating, the agreement has documented a conflict without curing it, and every colleague on that team can see it. The cure is dull and specific: name each decision, name the person taking it over, put an effective date on it, and tell the people who need to route work to the new decision maker. Colleagues also need somewhere to raise a favoritism concern that is not the manager in question. The Conflict of Interest Management Plan on this page exists because the agreement alone is the weaker half of the pair. This is general information, not legal advice.
Coverage starts lower than most owners think
Federal thresholds are not a safe harbor for a small team. The EEOC’s small business guidance states that a business with at least one employee is covered by the equal pay requirement, that businesses with 15 to 19 employees are covered by the laws prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, and genetic information, and that businesses with 20 or more add age discrimination. State and local fair employment laws often start at one employee, and several states restrict how far an employer may reach into lawful off-duty conduct, which is why a policy that bans all workplace relationships is both unenforceable in practice and legally riskier than one that manages conflicts. Confirm the rule for the state where each person works. This is general information, not legal advice.
The non-waiver point is worth stating plainly, because it is the one most consumer templates get wrong. The EEOC's guidance on waivers of discrimination claims states that no agreement can limit an employee's right to testify, assist, or participate in an agency investigation, and that a waiver must not cover claims arising after the date it is signed. A relationship agreement is signed before anything has gone wrong, so by definition it cannot release what has not happened yet.
The other half of the work is the complaint route. EEOC guidance on preventing harassment recommends providing multiple avenues of complaint, including a route for reporting concerns about senior leaders, a prompt and impartial investigation, and an unequivocal statement that retaliation is prohibited. In a relationship agreement, that translates into one line: a second named contact who is not in the reporting chain of either person, printed on the form itself. Applicant tracking is coming soon to FirstHR.
Relationship Agreements Without an HR Department
The structural problem in a small company is that the person an employee would complain to is often in the room. At a company of fifteen, the manager in the relationship may be the same person who handles HR, or their close friend, or the owner's brother. A large employer solves this with a hotline and a compliance function. A small one has to solve it by naming a specific second person on the page.
That second route is usually an outside option: a fractional HR consultant, an employment attorney on retainer, or a dedicated email address that goes to a director who is not in either reporting chain. It costs almost nothing to set up and it is the single clause that makes the rest of the document credible. Write it into the code of conduct as well, so it is not unique to this one situation.
You Do Not Need a Lawyer to Start, but Know When to Get One
Adopting a policy, taking disclosures on a one-page form, and signing an agreement where a reporting line is involved are all things a small business can do from a template. The narrower cases worth a professional call are specific: a relationship involving an owner or officer, a complaint that has already been raised, a request to be moved or a resignation that follows a breakup, and a state whose off-duty-conduct law limits what you can require of employees outside work. Start with the templates for the common case, and get advice for those four. This is general information, not legal advice.
The most valuable habit is timing. Sign the agreement when the relationship is disclosed and going well, not when it is ending and somebody has already spoken to a lawyer. A document signed calmly, months earlier, is evidence. The same document produced during a dispute is a negotiating position, and everyone reads it that way. Applicant tracking is coming soon to FirstHR.
Disclose, Sign, and Store
A relationship agreement works when disclosure is easy, the conflict is fixed before the paperwork, the signature is voluntary, and the signed copy is stored where you can retrieve it, kept apart from the general personnel file. Four steps, in that order, and the second one is the one people skip.
Take the disclosure
Give both people a route to tell you, take the disclosure form without commentary, and confirm in writing that disclosing it will not be used against either of them.
Fix the conflict first
Move the review, pay, discipline, and schedule decisions off the person in the relationship, write down who took each one and when, and tell the people who need to route work.
Sign the agreement
Offer the junior person a private conversation with someone outside the reporting chain, then sign the version that matches the situation, with a second complaint route named on the page.
Store it and set a review date
Keep the signed agreement and the conflict plan together, separate from the personnel file, and put a review date on the calendar so the arrangement does not quietly go stale.
The templates above work on their own. To run this without a paper trail scattered across inboxes, FirstHR sends the acknowledgment for signature with built-in e-signature, the same flow it uses for the handbook and new hire paperwork, stores the signed agreement and the conflict plan against the employee record, and keeps the review date attached to it. FirstHR is an onboarding and HR platform, not a law firm: it does not decide whether a clause holds up in your state or give legal advice, so pair it with a qualified professional for the judgment calls. Applicant tracking is coming soon to FirstHR.
Key Takeaways
A love contract, properly a consensual relationship agreement, records that a workplace relationship is voluntary and welcome and that the harassment policy and complaint routes were received.
It is evidence, not immunity: EEOC guidance is clear that no agreement can waive the right to file a charge or cover claims arising after it is signed.
A signed agreement filed on top of an unchanged reporting line documents a conflict without curing it; move the review, pay, and discipline decisions first.
Use the disclosure form for peers with no overlap, and the supervisor agreement plus a conflict plan whenever a reporting line is involved.
Name a second complaint route on the form that does not run through either person, which matters most when one of them is the manager.
Sign it at disclosure rather than during a dispute, and use an end of relationship notice when it is over. This is general information, not legal advice.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a love contract?
A love contract is the informal name for a consensual relationship agreement: a short document that two employees in a romantic relationship sign, confirming the relationship is voluntary and welcome, acknowledging that the company’s anti-harassment and conflict-of-interest policies still apply, and restating exactly how to complain if that changes. It is issued by the employer, not written by the couple, and it is usually signed after one of them discloses the relationship. A good version does three things: it records welcomeness on the date it is signed, it proves the anti-harassment policy and the complaint routes were received, and it names the conflict of interest that has to be fixed. Other names for the same document are consensual relationship agreement, workplace relationship acknowledgment, and relationship disclosure agreement. The register differs, the document does not. This is general information, not legal advice.
Are love contracts legally enforceable?
Partly, and not in the way the name suggests. The parts that describe conduct expectations and policy acknowledgment work like any other signed workplace acknowledgment, and they are useful evidence. The parts that try to release the employer from future liability are not enforceable. EEOC guidance on waivers is explicit that no agreement between an employee and an employer can limit the right to testify, assist, or participate in an agency investigation, that any provision attempting to waive those rights is invalid, and that a waiver cannot cover claims arising after the date it is signed. So a love contract is best understood as documentation rather than a contract that binds anyone to stay in a relationship or to give up a claim. Write it as evidence, not as a release, and it does the job it can actually do. This is general information, not legal advice.
Does a love contract protect an employer from a sexual harassment claim?
No, it does not prevent a claim, and it was never able to. What it can do is support the employer’s position on two specific points. First, harassment under Title VII requires unwelcome conduct, and a signed statement that the relationship was voluntary and welcome on a given date is contemporaneous evidence on that question. Second, in Faragher v. City of Boca Raton, the Supreme Court set out an affirmative defense for supervisor harassment where no tangible employment action resulted, requiring that the employer exercised reasonable care to prevent and correct harassment and that the employee unreasonably failed to use the preventive or corrective opportunities provided. An agreement that documents the policy and names the complaint routes feeds both elements. It is a strengthening document, not a shield, and it is worth far less than actually removing the reporting-line conflict. This is general information, not legal advice.
Can an employer require employees to sign a consensual relationship agreement?
Generally yes for a relationship that creates a conflict of interest, but the way you ask matters more than the authority to ask. Most US employment is at-will, so an employer can usually make disclosure and a signed acknowledgment a condition of managing a conflict, particularly where one person supervises the other. The problem is that a signature obtained under pressure undercuts the one thing the document is for. If the junior person felt they had no choice about signing, the paper is weaker evidence that the relationship itself was freely chosen. The practical approach is to give the junior employee a chance to talk privately with a neutral person, someone the manager does not supervise, before any signature, and to say in the document itself that employment does not depend on signing. Several states also limit employer control over lawful off-duty conduct. This is general information, not legal advice.
What should a consensual relationship agreement include?
Four groups of content. First, the parties and the relationship: the full legal entity name, both employees’ names, titles, and departments, and a plain statement that the relationship is voluntary, consensual, and welcome to both. Second, policy acknowledgment: that both have received and read the anti-harassment, anti-discrimination, and code of conduct policies and that those still apply in full. Third, the conflict of interest: that neither will take part in an employment decision about the other, plus the specific reporting-line or decision-authority change being made. Fourth, rights and closing: two named complaint routes with at least one that does not run through either person, an explicit statement that no legal right is waived and that at-will employment is unchanged, and signature blocks with a review date. The two clauses most templates skip are the second complaint route and the non-waiver line. This is general information, not legal advice.
Do we need a love contract for two coworkers who do not report to each other?
Usually not. If neither person supervises, evaluates, sets pay for, schedules, disciplines, or can see the personnel records of the other, there is no conflict to manage, and a full agreement adds paperwork without adding protection. The one-page disclosure form is the right weight for that situation: it tells you the relationship exists, gives you a dated record, and lets you decide whether anything needs to change. Reserve the full agreement for relationships that cross a reporting line, that reach into pay or promotion decisions, or that involve an owner or officer and any employee, because those are where the exposure sits. A blanket signing requirement also has a cost: you end up holding personal information you must now handle consistently, and the process starts to feel punitive, which discourages the next couple from disclosing anything. This is general information, not legal advice.
What happens to the agreement when the relationship ends?
The agreement stops describing reality, and complaints often arise in the period right after a breakup, so the end deserves its own short document. Use an end of relationship notice that records the date, states that neither person’s pay, schedule, assignments, or standing changes because the relationship ended, and repeats the complaint routes in writing. Do not treat the conflict plan as automatically lifted. Restoring a reporting line is a deliberate decision that should be made only where both people are comfortable and the arrangement genuinely works, and it should be recorded the same way the original change was. Keep the earlier agreement on file rather than destroying it, because it documents welcomeness during the period it covered, and make clear in the notice that it waived nothing and does not limit either person’s right to report conduct from that period. This is general information, not legal advice.
Can a small business use a love contract without a lawyer?
Yes, for the ordinary case. A small business can adopt a consensual relationship policy, take disclosures on a one-page form, and use a signed agreement for relationships that cross a reporting line without hiring counsel to draft each document from scratch, which is what these templates are for. Fill in your legal entity name, the two complaint routes, the decisions being transferred and the person taking them over, and the review date, and the set is ready to use. Counsel earns its fee in the harder cases: when the relationship reaches the ownership level, when someone has already complained, when a transfer request or resignation follows a breakup, or when your state restricts what employers may regulate off the clock. Start from the templates for the common case, and get advice for those. This is general information, not legal advice.
