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Is it legal for my employer to ban work relationships?

MY employer told me that I was not allowed to date or sleep with anyone I work with. He did not state what the consequences of it would be, but told me it wasn't allowed. Is that legal?

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Attorney answers (1)

Reputation Level 11
In California, the employment relationship is presumed to be at-will which means that you or your employer may terminate the relationship at any time, with or without cause. Nevertheless, employers may not discriminate or harass based on a "protected class" (i.e. race, national origin, age over 40, gender, sexual orientation, disability, religion). Employers also may not terminate an employee if it violates public policy (i.e. terminating an employee who complained about paychecks being late).

Your employer's policy prohibiting intimate relationships between co-workers by itself is not illegal. However, if your employer is enforcing this rule in a discriminatory fashion (i.e. based on a protected class) then it would be illegal.
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