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Three Quarters of Britons Have Had Office Romance


    Date:
    24 Jul 2003

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    Nearly three quarters of Britons have had an office romance with a colleague at some time, reports Ananova today.

    Just over ten thousand UK workers were polled by AOL's Careers and Work Channel. The survey revealed that 71 per cent of UK adults have at some point had a flling with an office colleague. Twenty-eight per cent were still in a relationship with someone at work and 66 per cent would think about starting a relationship at work if they liked the person enough.

    Employers' fears that inappropriate relationships at work may lead to unfair influence and negative legal implications will not be allayed by further findings. One in ten said they had slept with a superior to gain promotion and a third would consider it.

    The legal implications of office romances can include sexual harrassment charges, and unfair promotions/pay rises/dismissals. Office romances can often have a detrimental impact on productivity and team spirit. As reported on Workplacelaw Network, many UK companies are now following the lead of the US by introducing so-called love contracts to deter or even prohibit relationships at work.

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