A few weeks ago, we had some spirited discussions on office romance and whether "love contracts" are a good idea. Today, Newsweek.com ran a story exploring those topics in detail and was kind enough to quote yours truly. Click here for the story.

The article discusses love contracts at length and offers some expert legal opinions suggesting they're a good idea. When we asked our readers what they think, we got an even 50-50 split for and against. But virtually everyone who offered a comment on the topic was dead set against 'em.

To sum up my feelings on this issue, here's the quote from the Newsweek article:

Consensual relationship agreements are just another case of "overlawyering," says Mark Toth, the chief legal officer for Manpower North America, an outplacement and employment services company based in Milwaukee. "It forces [employers] to become the love police, consistently enforcing who's dating whom," Toth says. And he's not sure if such contracts will necessarily protect companies from litigation. A subordinate signing a love contract might claim that he or she signed under duress or that harassment began after the contract was signed.

Article by Mark Toth, Chief Legal Officer of Manpower's North American operations, and courtesy of Manpower Employment Blawg. Mark also serve as Chief Compliance Officer and Vice President of Franchise Relations and serve on our Global Leadership Team, North American Lead Team, Executive Diversity Steering Committee and Sarbanes-Oxley Steering Committee.