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Workplace Relationships Policy Template (Nepotism and Dating)
Nepotism and workplace dating policy: who counts as a relative, disclosure duty, no direct reporting lines, power-differential rules and a consent form.
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What you get
- Numbered policy clauses covering relatives, romantic relationships and close personal ties
- A defined list of who counts as a relative, including in-laws, step-relations and household members
- A reporting-line matrix showing which relationships need a reassignment and within how many days
- A consensual relationship acknowledgment form (the 'love contract') with signature fields
- State law notes: California, New York and Colorado off-duty conduct and marital status rules
- UK and India notes, plus a Sources list of the statutes used
Template preview
A preview of the structure. Download the PDF or CSV for the complete, ready-to-use version.
Policy details
- Company legal name
- Effective date— e.g. 1 January 2027
- Policy owner— e.g. VP People
- Disclosure contact— e.g. HR Business Partner or relationships@company.com
1. Purpose and scope
1.1 This policy sets out how [Company legal name] ("the Company") manages family and romantic relationships between people who work here. Its aim is to prevent conflicts of interest, favoritism and harassment. It does not ban relationships. 1.2 It applies to all employees, interns, and contractors engaged for more than [3] months, and to candidates who are relatives or partners of current staff. 1.3 It covers personal relationships with customers, vendors and competitors only where clause 7 says so.
2. Definitions
2.1 "Relative" means a spouse, domestic partner or civil partner; parent, step-parent, child, step-child or foster child; sibling, half-sibling or step-sibling; grandparent or grandchild; aunt, uncle, niece, nephew or first cousin; the equivalent in-law of any of these (including mother-, father-, son-, daughter-, brother- and sister-in-law); and anyone who lives in the same household. 2.2 "Romantic relationship" means a dating, sexual or romantic relationship, current or within the past [12] months, between two people who work for the Company. A single date counts once either person wants it to continue. 2.3 "Direct reporting line" means one person manages, supervises, assigns work to, reviews, approves pay, time or expenses for, or has input into the hiring, promotion, discipline or termination of the other, directly or through someone who reports to them. 2.4 "Covered Relationship" means any relative relationship or romantic relationship between two people covered by this policy.
3. Hiring and employment of relatives
3.1 The Company may hire relatives of current employees. The relative goes through the same process as any other candidate. 3.2 An employee must not take part in any step of hiring a relative: writing the job posting, screening, interviewing, reference checks, scoring or the offer decision. Candidates must state on the application whether they are related to anyone at the Company. 3.3 A relative will not be placed in a role where either person would be in the other's direct reporting line, or where one would audit, approve or reconcile the other's work (for example payroll and accounts payable, or HR and the relative's personnel file). 3.4 Relatives may work in the same department where neither condition in 3.3 applies and the [department head] approves in writing.
4. Romantic relationships between employees
4.1 Employees who are peers, with no direct reporting line and no power differential under clause 6, may date without telling the Company. They must keep the relationship out of work decisions and meet the conduct standards in the code of conduct. 4.2 Unwelcome advances are harassment and are handled under the anti-harassment policy. An employee may ask a colleague out once. If the colleague says no, or gives an unclear answer, the employee must not ask again. 4.3 Public displays of affection at work, at client sites and at Company events are not permitted.
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How to use this template
- 1
Set your thresholds
Fill in the bracketed values: the disclosure deadline, the reassignment window, and which senior roles are covered by the stricter rules in clause 6.
- 2
Check your state rules
If you employ people in California, New York, Colorado or another state with off-duty conduct or marital status protection, apply the notes in clause 10 before publishing.
- 3
Align with anti-harassment training
Cross-reference your anti-harassment policy, since a relationship that ends badly is a common source of harassment complaints.
- 4
Train the people who receive disclosures
HR business partners should know how to log a disclosure, keep it confidential and run the reporting-line review within the deadline.
Frequently asked questions
What is a nepotism policy?
A nepotism policy stops employees from favoring relatives in hiring, pay, promotion or discipline. It usually defines who counts as a relative, bars employees from taking part in decisions about relatives, and prevents relatives from being in each other's reporting line. Most nepotism policies allow relatives to work at the same company, just not managing or auditing each other.
Is it legal to ban dating in the workplace?
In most US states an employer can restrict workplace dating, but an outright ban is hard to enforce and pushes relationships underground. A few states, including California and Colorado, protect lawful off-duty conduct, so disciplining someone only for dating a peer carries risk there. Most employers instead require disclosure and ban relationships with a direct reporting line.
What is a love contract at work?
A love contract, or consensual relationship acknowledgment, is a short form both employees sign confirming the relationship is voluntary, that they have read the anti-harassment policy, and that they will not make work decisions about each other. It creates a record that the relationship was consensual at the start, which helps if a harassment complaint follows a breakup.
Who counts as a relative in a nepotism policy?
Usually spouses and domestic partners, parents, children, siblings, grandparents, grandchildren, and the step and in-law versions of each. Many policies also include aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins and anyone living in the same household. A wide definition is simpler to apply than arguing case by case about whether a relationship is close enough to matter.
Can a manager date an employee who reports to them?
Under this policy, no. Managers must not start a relationship with anyone in their reporting line. If one already exists, it must be disclosed and the reporting line changed within 30 days. The senior person carries the disclosure duty, and the company does not move the junior person by default. This protects both people and the company from claims that consent was not freely given.
Can we refuse to hire an employee's spouse?
Refusing to hire someone because they are married to an employee can be marital status discrimination in states such as California and New York. California's FEHA does allow employers to reasonably regulate spouses working in the same department for supervision, safety, security or morale reasons. The safer route is to hire on merit and keep spouses out of each other's reporting line.