Office Love Contract Not Welcomed By Workers

Workers who strike up a romance with a co-worker amongst the ink cartridges in the office printer room will not be too happy about the idea of their boss forcing a 'love contract' on them.

Some 44 per cent of respondents to a YouGov survey said they would be "outraged" if they had to disclose a relationship with a colleague.

One local authority - Fenland District Council - had planned to introduce a policy under which employees who develop a close relationship with a co-worker would have to tell their manager about it in writing.

Over a fifth of respondents (22 per cent) said they would be disappointed if the idea were implemented and feel it bad for morale.

But 23 per cent backed the proposal, highlighting the tension that can occur in the workplace when colleagues break up.

Amy Paxton, senior employment consultant at Croner, which commissioned the survey, said: "From a basic human rights point of view, unless an office relationship is having a negative impact on the employee’s ability to perform their day-to-day tasks, in accordance with their contract of employment, there would be a strong argument for saying that their relationship has absolutely nothing to do with their employer."

According to a recent survey of businesses by Lexmark, the most popular pieces of office equipment are desktop computers and laptops.

Posted by Canzil Ahmed.