I am the manager of a small 9-person office in Missouri. I have been dating one of the employees (not a direct report) for 3 years. A new VP of my company told me today that one of us has to leave the company because we're dating. The company doesn't have a policy about interoffice dating, but apparently they're coming up with one now. From a legal standpoint, is it acceptable that one of us be let go in this manner? Can a company put new regulations into effect and penalize people retroactively?

To give you as much background info as possible, the problem for them is that I am a manager, and my boyfriend is an employee, so there could be problems if someone else in the company ever cried favoritism. We started dating before I was promoted to manager, and this is the only local office (actually, it's the only office in the U.S.) in our department, so tranferring isn't an option. Do you know of any legal means by which we can both keep our jobs and/or means to safeguard the company from other employees suing them if we were both to keep our jobs?

There really isn't any legal leg you have on which to stand. It is a very bad idea to have a relationship where one of the "relators" has any business control over the other one. This is not an uncommon policy, btw.

I am the manager of a small 9-person office in Missouri. I have been dating one of the employees (not a direct report) for 3 years. A new VP of my company told me today that one of us has to leave the company because we're dating. The company doesn't have a policy about interoffice dating, but apparently they're coming up with one now. From a legal standpoint, is it acceptable that one of us be let go in this manner? Can a company put new regulations into effect and penalize people retroactively? Yes and yes.

To give you as much background info as possible, the problem for them is that I am a manager, and my boyfriend is an employee, so there could be problems if someone else in the company ever cried favoritism. We started dating before I was promoted to manager, and this is the only local office (actually, it's the only office in the U.S.) in our department, so tranferring isn't an option. Do you know of any legal means by which we can both keep our jobs and/or means to safeguard the company from other employees suing them if we were both to keep our jobs? No and no. Although the issue isn't the employer's fear of being sued by other employees. It's a perception thing (possible favoritism) and other employees' and management's concerns that you could be sharing confidential information with him. It also has the definite possibility to create a conflict in interest with the two of you, whether real or perceived.

It is completely legal for your employer to decide that one of you has to find employment elsewhere.