BP executives ordered to be open about their office relationships following Looney scandal

Bernard Looney lost £32m due to 'inaccurate and incomplete representations'; on workplace relationships Photo: Kamran Jebreili/AP

Thousands of executives and middle managers at BP have been told to disclose relationships with colleagues after former boss Bernard Looney resigned over office matters.

< p>The new policy, announced in an email last week, requires employees at the FTSE 100 company to disclose any intimate relationships they have with colleagues at work or risk losing their jobs.

The revised rules also explicitly ban any of BP's 90,000 employees from «directly or indirectly managing» anyone they have had a close relationship with, or family members.

In addition, about 4,500 managers have been given three months to disclose any internal affairs they have had in the past three years.

They have been given a Sept. 1 deadline to disclose the information, according to Reuters, which first reported the policy.

A BP spokesman said on Monday that a key difference in the new policy is that employees must now disclose relationships with colleagues in all circumstances, regardless of whether they believe it is necessary. created a conflict of interest.

The move comes after BP announced Mr Looney's shock resignation in September following claims he had not been completely honest with the company's board about his office affairs.

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Mr. Looney was initially questioned about his workplace relationships in the fall of 2019. during the recruitment process that led to his appointment as chief executive.

He was then asked again in the summer of 2022, when it was later revealed that he had made «inaccurate and incomplete representations», BP said.

In December the company reduced Looney's notice period and said he would forfeit £32 million in salary due to «serious misconduct».

According to Reuters, BP has since completed an investigation into Mr. Looney's conduct with the help of law firm Freshfields.

The company did not disclose the findings or conclusions of the investigation.

Murray Auchincloss, BP's new chief executive, formally succeeded Mr Looney in January.

He is married to a fellow BP employee, a relationship he disclosed before becoming chief financial officer in 2020.

A BP Press The secretary said: «BP periodically updates our policies, procedures and compliance systems.

» Following the update of BP's code of conduct in January 2023, our conflicts of interest policy was scheduled to be reviewed this year — the last time . updated in 2018.

“The update was made following a review that included benchmarking against comparable companies and organizations, as well as a review of industry best practices.”

In December, Mr Looney said he was «proud» of his work at BP, adding that he was «disappointed» with the way his dismissal was handled.