Image source, Getty Images
- author, Laura Jones
- role, Business reporter
Oil giant BP has tightened rules on workplace relationships after its former president was fired for failing to disclose details of a personal relationship with a colleague.
Senior managers must report any intimate relationships they have had with colleagues in the past three years.
Employees who do not comply with the new rules may face disciplinary action.
BP said an update to its conflict of interest policy would be considered later this year.
The company said it has asked around 4,500 managerial-level employees to submit reports within the next three months on “any conflict of interest or not.”
He was fired without notice in December and had to give up millions of pounds in share benefits and bonuses.
The company said Rooney gave “inaccurate and incomplete assurances” as part of its investigation into the 2022 relationship.
“I am disappointed in the way this situation has been handled,” Rooney said in a December 2023 statement.
BP only began investigating Looney’s ties with colleagues in 2022 after receiving an anonymous tip-off.
At the time, the company said Rooney had “disclosed a small number of past relationships with colleagues prior to joining the company.” [chief executive]”And no violations of the company’s conduct were found.”
Rooney has pledged to disclose his past relationships and future actions.
But the committee later said it had received similar allegations, necessitating a new investigation.
The company said Monday it had updated its conflict of interest policy after reviewing similar organizations and industry good practices.
Previously, employees were only required to disclose and record family or intimate relationships in the workplace if they felt there was a potential conflict of interest.
BP said the new policy would take effect in early June, adding that the change reflected “the influence of its leaders.”
Rachel Saff, benefits and employee relations adviser at the Chartered Institute of Personnel (CIPD), said formal interpersonal policies were more common in the US than in the UK.
She said most employers would take a “common sense approach” but any relationships between managers and employees were clearly conflicts of interest and could create risks around confidentiality and impartiality and should be reported.
Looney joined BP as a drilling engineer in 1991 and has built his career there.
Born in Ireland and raised on a farm, he joined the company’s management team in 2010.
When he became CEO in 2020, he posted photos of smiling employees on Instagram, presenting himself as a more approachable person.
But he faced criticism for weakening the target for reducing net carbon emissions.
His departure from BP also comes at a time when senior officials at high-profile organisations like the CBI are facing questions about their personal conduct.
Sahu added: “It is extremely important, especially for senior management, to be courteous and professional at all times.”
