IUPUI Human Resources Policies
   Employee Relations  274-8931

Service Maintenance Staff
 
5.1 Consensual Relationships

Staff covered by this policy
 This policy applies to all staff at Indiana University.
A. Consensual Romantic Relationships

  1. The university's mission is promoted by professionalism in all relationships between supervisors and employees. IU recognizes the potential for a conflict of interest when a consensual romantic and/or sexual relationship occurs between a supervisor and his or her employee.

  2. Such relationships can interfere with a supervisor's ability to evaluate an employee or may at least give rise to the perception that the supervisor's evaluation is biased. In addition, those who engage in such relationships should be cautioned that questions may later arise regarding whether the relationship was consensual.

B. Provisions

  1. The Policy 3.3, Employment of Relatives, Students and Minors, already precludes employees from evaluating the work of others with whom they are related, or from making hiring, promotional, transfer, or similar decisions concerning such persons.

  2. The same concepts within the Employment of Relatives provision apply to consensual romantic and/or sexual relationships and require, at a minimum, that appropriate arrangements be made for objective decision making.

C. Disclosure

  1. When a consensual romantic and/or sexual relationship exists between a supervisor and his or her employee, the supervisor has the responsibility to disclose the relationship to his or her supervisor.

    1. The employee may disclose the relationship to the supervisor's supervisor.

  2. At this time, arrangements will be made to eliminate or mitigate a conflict whose consequences might prove detrimental to the university.

Adopted July  2006
 

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