'Coldplay Couple' Exit from Astronomy Spurs Look at UK Attitudes on Office Romances

43% have had a workplace relationship – with one in four of those doing so while one or both were already in a relationship.

LONDON, LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM, July 30, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- New polling - Astronomy parts company with ‘Coldplay couple’ but are British employees more relaxed than we think about workplace romances?
- 43% have had a workplace relationship – with one in four of those doing so while one or both were already in a relationship
- Just 25% say they have never seen anything they consider inappropriate in the office when it comes to workplace relationships
- Majority of Brits say that sexual or romantic overtures have consequences for the whole office

New consumer polling by decision-making platform Milieu Insight reveals that if you’re a Brit who hasn’t heard about former Astronomy CEO Andy Byron and his Coldplay clinch with Chief People Officer, Kristin Cabot, you’re now in the minority. Awareness of the situation is running at a staggering 84% of the general population.

Perhaps that’s because two in five respondents (43%) say that they themselves have had a workplace relationship – with one in four of those (23%) saying that they or their workplace partner were in a relationship with someone else at the time.

So given that workplace relationships are relatively commonplace, what do Brits make of them?

Only around a quarter of those we asked said that workplace relationships are inappropriate (with 7% saying they were inappropriate in ANY circumstances). And these numbers changed little when we asked specifically about senior employees getting together.

Only a quarter of us (25%) told Milieu Insight they have NEVER seen anything they consider ‘romantically’ inappropriate in the workplace. Among the most commonly-cited behaviour was inappropriate comments or jokes with sexual or romantic undertones (25% said they had witnessed this in a workplace).

Other common behaviours witnessed were a manager showing favouritism to someone they were involved with (23%), a senior colleague pursuing a junior (20%) and consensual relationships which caused tension in the team (13%).

And what is Brits’ experience of what happens when something like this occurs in the workplace?

Well, just over a quarter (27%) say that HR or management took action. Nearly a third (29%) say that it was ignored or brushed aside, while 16% say it was discussed but that nothing changed.

Regardless of how actions were treated, the consensus is that incidents linked to romantic or sexual overtures have consequences for the workplace. Only 25% of respondents said that situations like these had ‘no real effect’ on the wider team or culture.

People were most likely to tell us that that they created gossip, distractions or tension (39%), that they made others feel uncomfortable or unsure of boundaries (25%) and that they damaged team morale (15%). But one in five (19%) say they were accepted as part of the culture.

But navigating relationships in the office isn’t straightforward.

Brits are divided on when it’s appropriate to disclose a relationship to an employer. One in ten (11%) say you should go early – as soon as feelings develop.

Nearly three in ten (29%) say that the relationship becoming romantic is the trigger, while a third (33%) say only once it becomes serious or long term.

But the joint most popular option was if company policy explicitly states it should be disclosed – 33% of respondents agreed with this option.

When it comes to the experiences of people who have had (or are having) a workplace relationship, 55% told us that theirs wasn’t a conflict of interest or against company policy. The rest said that it was, with around two-thirds of those choosing to keep it private and a third saying they declared it appropriately.

Kerry McLaren, UK CEO of Milieu Insight, says that the data reveals a complex story.
“You will have been hard-pressed to have missed the viral event that had everyone talking last week. Astronomy, a company with a relatively low profile, dominated the headlines and got everyone talking about inter-company relationships.

“Whatever your stance, the data shows workplace relationships are common and actually not viewed by the majority as inappropriate - but the lack of awareness around policy makes for a bigger conversation.

“Now is a better time than any for companies to review and communicate what is deemed acceptable in the workplace since it’s sure to be a topic of interest to employees for some time to come.”
About Milieu Insight

Milieu Insight is a global market research and data analytics company, headquartered in Singapore, dedicated to helping brands and businesses build consumer engagement ecosystems that deliver agile and actionable business insights.

The company has garnered accolades such as Campaign Asia's Tech MVP and Market Research Agency of the Year (GOLD) and is renowned for its award-winning research expertise. At the core of its offerings is its powerful survey and data analytics software platform, Canvas, which provides intuitive tools for survey design and distribution, data analysis, visualisation, and reporting business insights across various topics and sectors - This empowers businesses to make informed, impactful decisions and develop effective strategies.

For more information, visit our website at https://www.mili.eu/sg.

About the research
Fieldwork took place 23-25 July. Sample size was 1,000.

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marketing@mili.eu

Juda Kanaprach
Milieu Insight
+65 9386 8780
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