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BP senior executives must disclose any close relationships they have had with colleagues over the past three years or face disciplinary action, the company said, tightening workplace rules following Chief Executive Bernard Rooney’s firing in December.
Rooney resigned last September and was later fired for gross misconduct for failing to fully disclose her past relationships to the board.
The scandal has rocked the 115-year-old British energy group and raised questions about the number and nature of Rooney’s workplace relationships and the culture within the company. The allegations that prompted his resignation included accusations that Rooney had promoted a woman with whom he had previously had an undisclosed relationship, the Financial Times reported.
BP’s previous policy required employees to disclose and record such relationships only if they believed there might be a conflict of interest.
The new rules, which take effect from June 1, require employees to disclose any intimate relationships at work, “regardless of whether they are considered to be a conflict of interest”, BP said in a statement to the FT.
BP’s senior leaders, comprised of about 4,500 executives, must also disclose any intimate relationships that occurred at work over the past three years. BP said the additional requirements reflect “the influence leaders have” and added that retroactive disclosures must be made by early September.
The FT reported that BP first investigated allegations about Rooney’s past associates in 2022, after which the then-CEO acknowledged some of the relationships and assured the board there was nothing more to disclose. When the board faced the second allegation last year, Looney admitted he had failed to be “fully transparent.”
The new policy represents the biggest change to BP’s workplace rules since Looney left. These changes were first reported by Reuters.
BP investigated the allegations against Rooney with the assistance of outside lawyers but has not released its findings. BP said in an internal memo to employees last year that it would not share details of the investigation to protect the identities of those involved, but that “themes and lessons” learned would be “adopted as appropriate.”
BP said on Monday its conflict of interest policy was last updated in 2018 and a review is scheduled for this year following a refresh of its broader code of conduct in January 2023.
It said the review included “benchmarking against comparable companies and organizations and a review of good industry practices.” This change brings the rules for intimate relationships in the workplace into line with the rules for family relationships.
“This policy forms part of BP’s Code of Conduct and failure to comply with this policy may result in disciplinary action,” it said.
