With a week to go until Valentine’s Day, an employment lawyer has warned Brits to tread carefully with office romances. While there’s no law in the UK that bans workplace relationships, some employees are required to make their managers aware of them and failure to do so could result in disciplinary action.
To prevent any company rules or policies being broken, Denise Monteiro, Legal Assistant at Richard Nelson LLP, has outlined some things for employees to bear in mind before jumping into a relationship at work.
An employment lawyer has warned Brits about the challenges and risks they may face by getting involved in a relationship at work.
While in most cases workplace romances do not break company rules, some firms will require employees to let their manager know that they’re in a relationship with a colleague.
With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, Denise Monteiro, Legal Assistant at Richard Nelson LLP, has outlined the rules around relationships at work as well as how much information Brits must share with their employer.
She said: “Brits spend roughly a third of their lives at work, so it comes as no surprise when strong bonds are formed, with some resulting in office relationships. When this does happen, there’s no law stating you need to let your employer know that you’re in a relationship with someone at work.
“However, it is definitely worth checking your contract and workplace policies as some employers do require their staff to notify them about workplace relationships and failure to do so could lead to disciplinary action.
“Workplace romances can become a legitimate management issue, presenting conflicts of interest, favouritism, lack of transparency, embarrassment of staff and in more serious cases, legal risks regarding discrimination and harassment.”
Despite the potential complications, a recent survey by YouGov shows that nearly a fifth of Brits met their current or most recent partner at work.
In order to reduce the risk of issues arising from relationships at work Denise advises companies to implement internal policies and rules around workplace romances.
