Oil giant BP has reportedly told staff to confess to office romances or face firing, months after its CEO was fired for an extramarital affair over a scandal.
The updated conflict of interest policy, emailed to staff last week and seen by Reuters, highlights how the sudden resignation of former CEO Bernard Looney last September continues to affect the entire company.
The new policy “prohibits employees from managing relatives or people with whom they have a direct or indirect relationship,” according to the memo.
BP is also asking thousands of its senior managers to disclose any intimate relationships they have had with employees or agency workers within the past three years.
Businesses were given a three-month grace period, until September 1, to make such declarations.
Before the latest changes, BP’s Code of Conduct The company did not ban relationships between staff members entirely, but advised employees to “proactively manage conflicts of interest,” which includes “having close relationships with people who could influence pay, promotions or management.”
The Post has reached out to BP for comment.
BP has confirmed it has updated its policy on conflicts of interest arising from family or intimate relationships in the workplace, according to Reuters.
“Previously, employees were required to disclose and document any relationships they felt might have a conflict of interest,” the company said in an emailed statement to the news agency.
“Employees are now expected to disclose intimate relationships in the workplace, regardless of whether they pose a conflict of interest.”
Looney was fired in December after the company determined he had misled the board about a personal relationship with a colleague.
The company also recouped $40 million in salaries.
BP completed an investigation into Looney’s conduct earlier this year with the help of law firm Freshfields but has not made public its findings or conclusions, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.
“The board is reviewing the details to ensure that the themes and lessons are considered and adopted appropriately,” BP said in an emailed statement.
Mr Rooney’s resignation comes after the board investigated similar allegations against him in May 2022 and after he gave assurances to the board about his past and future conduct.
The Post has reached out to Rooney for comment.
BP’s shares have fallen more than 11 percent since Looney’s departure, falling more than its rivals amid ongoing investor concerns about the company’s energy transition strategy.
New CEO Murray Auchincloss, who took over in January, has sought to stabilize the company by promising to improve profit margins.
Days after Auchincloss was named interim CEO, the company revealed that she was romantically involved with a colleague.
Auchincloss’s partner is also a BP employee, and he disclosed the relationship before becoming chief financial officer in 2020.
With post wire
