Consensual Romantic Relationships Policy
Unit: Human Resources
Contact: Susan Norton
Title: Senior Associate Vice President for Human Resources and Chief Human Resources Officer
Effective Date: 7/1/2012
Revision Date: 06/27/2022
Purpose
The purpose of this policy is to clarify appropriate student/employee and employee/employee relationships.Policy
The work and/or educational relationships between employees, as well as between employees and students, must remain professional at all times. Romantic and/or sexual relationships between employees or between students and employees who have authority or influence over aid, benefits, services, or the academic progress of that student may create an appearance of impropriety that is contrary to the interests of The University of Alabama (“University”). Even though a relationship may have been consensual at its inception, a significant power differential exists when one party to the relationship has the authority to influence the academic progress, aid, benefits, or services of a student or to influence the pay, work assignments, benefits or working conditions of an employee. These are just some examples of influence and in no way is this intended as an exhaustive list. Such relationships are particularly vulnerable to exploitation as well as to claims of exploitation.Employees shall not engage in or solicit consensual romantic or sexual relationships with any student or employee over whom they exercise any academic, administrative, supervisory, evaluative, counseling, advisory, or extracurricular authority or influence. This prohibition includes employees soliciting or engaging in consensual romantic or sexual relationships with other employees when one party to the relationship is an individual who supervises, evaluates, makes assignments for, or grades the other party. Likewise, employees who have the authority to influence aid, benefits, or services provided to a student may not solicit or engage in consensual romantic or sexual relationships with a student seeking such aid, benefits, or services. Similarly, employees who have the authority to influence the academic progress of a student may not solicit or engage in consensual romantic or sexual relationships with that student.
No employee shall exercise any academic, administrative, supervisory, evaluative, counseling, advisory, or extracurricular authority or influence over any student or employee with whom that employee has previously been involved in a consensual romantic or sexual relationship.
It is the responsibility of the parties who are or ever have been involved in such a consensual romantic or sexual relationship to proactively contact the HR Business Partner to report the relationship and begin taking steps necessary to ensure immediate compliance with this policy. The HR Business Partner will assist the employee and the appropriate parties to ensure compliance. Compliance may be achieved in a number of ways including, but not limited to:
- The voluntary transfer or reassignment of one party so the improper employee/employee or student/employee relationship no longer exists;
- Excluding the employee from having any influence over the provision of aid, benefits, or services to the student; or
- Excluding either employee from participating in discussions or decisions that might influence the pay, work assignments, performance reviews, benefits or working conditions of the other employee. When appropriate, this should be achieved by developing an approved Management Plan.
Failure to comply with this policy may result in disciplinary action up to and including termination. Potential violations of this policy should be promptly reported to the University's Title IX Office, an HR Business Partner, or the Compliance and Fraud Hotline.
Definition
Employee - For the purposes of this policy, includes faculty, staff, graduate/undergraduate student employees and anyone providing services to or on behalf of the University.Student - A student currently enrolled or seeking enrollment in classes at the University.