Consensual Relationship Agreement

Consensual Relationship Agreement (CRA) Case Study

Beverly Jackson

Dr. Mensah-Dartey

BUS 520- Leadership and Organizational Behavior

April 19, 2012

“Proceed with caution if you’re contemplating having an office affair or workplace romance”, says infidelity expert Ruth Houston, who was recently quoted in a Christian Science Monitor article on office romance. According to experts over 70% of single employees will be romantically involved with someone on the job at some point in their career. Today’s workplace has become the new singles bar. The workplace has also become the #1 place for married men and women to meet affair partners and conduct extramarital affairs. In an effort to control workplace romances organizations have come up with consensual relationship agreements “Consensual relationship agreements,” the legal name for the love contacts , first emerged about eight years ago in the wake of former President Clinton’s dalliance with then-White House intern Monica Lewinsky, Mathiason said. Corporate counsels grew fearful that an affair involving one of their executives could end in a big-bucks liability payout. Mathiason, whose firm represents employers, said many panicked clients asked him, “Whoa, what in the world do we do?”

A Consensual Relationship Agreement is an agreement between both employee and management that provides that the employee will not allow the relationship to interfere with or impact the work environment. This agreement also confirms and documents that the relationship is consensual and voluntary. The romantically involved parties acknowledge the following: they agree to abide by the employer’s antidiscrimination, antiharassment, and workplace conduct policies, promise to report any perceived harassment to management, agree to avoid behavior that offends others in the workplace ,agree to behave professionally and not to allow the relationship to affect their performance , and agree not to engage in favoritism. These are...