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Mike Young
HR director UK and Ireland, Avaya
We don't have anything formal written down as we prefer to treat each case individually. But if there's a relationship in a reporting line that's too risky for everyone concerned and not fair on the team. It also lays the individuals open to accusations of favouritism. In these cases you have to move at least one of the couple - often the junior individual. It's just too fraught with difficulties to keep them together.
Work is where most couples meet. It's only when they're connected in practical areas like pay and bonus decisions that difficulties arise, because there will always be suspicion. However, you don't want to imply that the couple have done anything wrong as they haven't.
You also hope that people will tell their managers before it becomes a problem and look to the company to help them with it. Often they are worried about the situation and looking to you for some help.
As a rule, you'd like to know what's going on in case it causes problems later if the relationship ends or become serious. You need to develop an environment of openness where people can come to you and explain things whenever they want.
But as relationships are different there are no rules that can possibly cover them all. The last thing HR wants to develop is some form of policy that turns them into the relationship police.
Dominic Mahony
HR director, Thomson Travel
We don't have a 'love contract' as such but what we do have is a policy that tries to make sure there's no conflict of interest if, say, a husband and wife are working together. This extends to any family member - particularly if there's a situation where you have a close relationship with someone you're reporting to.
For instance, if a husband is doing his wife's appraisal it is reasonable that the couple come to the HR department and talk the issues through so we can find an amicable solution. It could be a case of moving them to other areas or giving one a different person to report to.
It's important to the couple and the rest of the team to know that everything is being done fairly and without any conflict of interest. But throughout it all we would look at what was appropriate.
A lot of rubbish was written about love contracts when they came out and the reality is that a lot of people in any business will have a relationship.
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