ITV has introduced a ‘Personal Relationships at Work Policy’ that requires staff to declare all relationships with colleagues, including friendships.
The new policy was distributed to staff this month and states that they must inform the company of any relationships with colleagues, including “a person living in the same household” and “anyone involved in a sexual, romantic or close relationship or friendship (whether short or longer term)”, according to the Sunday Times.
It follows Philip Schofield’s resignation earlier this year over an affair with a colleague. The This Morning presenter left ITV after admitting he had lied to bosses about the “unwise, but not illegal” affair.
Relationship policies
According to the Sunday Times, the policy states that anyone who breaches rules around declaring relationships could face disciplinary action or dismissal.
The document is reported to say: “If a personal relationship exists between you and another colleague (whether it started prior to or during the course of your employment or engagement with ITV), both parties must disclose this to the company at the earliest opportunity.”
Relationships with freelancers, consultants, contractors, apprentices, agency staff, volunteers and people on work experience fall within the scope of the policy.
Staff were quoted describing the policy as a “step too far”.
An ITV spokesperson said: “ITV has had in place a policy on relationships at work since October 2022. Like all of our people policies we keep them under review and update them periodically. The relationships at work policy was most recently reviewed and updated in October 2023.”
Natasha Kearslake, director of HR consultancy Organic P&O Solutions, said: “The fallout from the Philip Schofield affair has been so damaging that ITV couldn’t risk a repeat, but the new workplace relationship policy has brought accusations that bosses are being overzealous.
“It’s sensible for organisations to have a code of conduct on workplace relationships and to encourage employees to disclose romantic relationships, but there are limits to how much information should be required. ITV’s policy leaves no stone unturned, and seems to suggest that alongside relationships, workers must even declare friendships with colleagues.
“While having this information could help avoid favouritism and ensure all team members are treated equally and fairly, there’s the danger that staff could feel that scrutiny is crossing a line into their private lives.
“Bosses need to remember that the bad apples who take advantage of others are in the minority, and they shouldn’t be the ones to set the bar for how everyone is treated.”
Martin Williams, head of employment at law firm Mayo Wynne Baxter, said keeping track of staff relationships in this way would be “fraught with problems of definition but also a strong element of intrusion”.
“When does a personal relationship start? Is it the first time lips touch? Is it the holding of hands? Is it going to the pub after work? What if that visit to the pub is in a group of more than two people, are they all ‘friends’ with a personal relationship?” he said.
“Then one has to consider when the relationship ends. The kissing may have stopped but are they just ‘friends’ thereafter, or merely ‘colleagues’?
“What if one person reports a different level of relationship to the other. Does HR then have to intervene so the truth will out?
“What is more important is a policy that allows those who are harassed by their seniors to be able to speak up when it happens and without fear of reprisal. In the end that is where the real danger lies.”
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