Fatal Attraction

The story brings to light the dillemma of the two employees Pritam and Jagruti, who had been 'discovered'/'perceived' by the company as being in love and just before Pritam's promotion, they are being forced by the GM HR to sign a love contract or a 'consensual relationship contract'. Let us analyse why:

a) Firstly, Pritam is to be promoted as Senior Manager HR for Detroit Office. So he would be able to potentially influence promotions for Jagruti. Even if Jagruti was competent, others would perceive wrong-doing, as rightly said by Satyajyoti.

The GM is also concerned that while the couple currently sheds inhibitions to hug each other in office parties, such behaviour would be further unacceptable when Pritam becomes a Senior Manager. To prevent such embarrassing/awkward situations for others in future, GM has cleverly linked the promotion with the love contract.

Downside: The clear downside here is (as pointed by Neha earlier) that the contract should have specified the acts which were unaccepted in the workplace. Having said that, innovative couples may come up with acts not covered in the contract (say 'foot massage') for which subjectivity of employer/witnesses would hold correct. For instance, a personalised love contract made for them could have laid down the example of their hugging several times which might have been disapproved of. Companies have every right to set down their code of conduct within the workplace and punish employees for not following it, after warnings (depending on the seriousness of the act). In this case however, as Ketan, Swavab and Varun have said, no prior talk was done with Pritam/Jagruti which could have given them a chance to correct their actions.

Moreover, like Rakesh says, we have no information on whether Intermediaries Technologies Ltd. had a properly circulated 'Dating and Relationship Policy' for employees. Most importantly, whether the two were in love was to be discussed amicably and then the contract should have been signed.

b) Secondly, the companies are least bothered about who is going out with whom- such things only adds to office gossip. Companies start getting bothered about affairs only when these start affecting their revenues, such as boss-subordinate relationships where a less capable employee may be unfairly promoted or when couples vanish for hours together from their seats. As Varun has earlier pointed out, couples can be put in different projects or departments, so that the possibility of reporting to one's spouse is not there. Here this condition is already satisfied, with Pritam being in HR and Jagruti being in tech. Still there's a chance of Pritam overseeing the same projects that Jagruti is working with, which can also be eliminated. What can't be eliminated however, is Pritam's sphere of influence once he climbs up the ladder, irrespective of the geographical location he is in. That's why the love contract was given for signing.

Downside: We would have accepted the employer's concerns in good faith. However, the way the contract was forced upon the employees was bewildering. It makes me ask- why the hurry. Did the post of Senior Manager HR for Detroit need to be filled up the next day morning itself (as Jagruti is being forced to resign by 6 pm the same day)? Or does the case not give details of bolder PDA or unforgivable conduct by the employees which warranted immediate action?

Moreover, in general, all couples may not want to declare their relationship as long-standing, to the company. They will not like to be bound by the terms of contract when they discontinue their relationship after few months or years. In such a case, it is difficult to say how far a love contract can safeguard the interests of the company, with employees claiming harrassment charges even after their affair was over. A solution to this can be: Asking the employees to immediately report to the company that their relationship stands void, and signing a 'Counter-Love Contract' (maybe I can say so!) as per which no harrassment charges can be framed against either party earlier in love. On a lighter vein, maybe this can be made a part of the Love Contract itself- the Counter-Love Clause.