Answered by the HR Experts using Mineral HR: You could try, but the heart wants what it wants. Bans of this sort are difficult to enforce and can make employees feel like you’re interfering in their personal lives, potentially diminishing trust and driving these relationships “underground.” (And of course, California has its own opinion, saying employers can’t prohibit employee dating outright.)

If you do spot a workplace romance, it may be best to simply remind employees about your harassment policy and general expectations for workplace conduct. We do, however, recommend prohibiting (or at least discouraging) relationships between managers and their direct reports to prevent perceptions of favoritism, which could lead to legal risk, but will almost certainly lead to grumbling and discontent on the team.

You can find a sample employee dating policy on the platform.

There have sample employee dating policy on the platform on the Mineral HR platform.

Nicholle Peterson, Benefits Plan Manager comments, 

“Workplace romance is a reality you can’t always legislate away. Instead of outright bans, focus on clear guidelines—especially ensuring managers don’t date direct reports—to protect your team from both legal risk and office drama.”

To learn more about our online tool, Mineral HR, contact Nicholle at (320) 214-2921.

This Q&A does not constitute legal advice and does not address state or local law.