Sex at work costs women aspiring to senior management roles big time, because to break through that glass ceiling you’ll need a sponsor, or a mentor in the C-suite, who will probably be male and married. The fear of sexual harassment suits or rumours can prevent men from supporting women, especially if they pick to back her rather then a male colleague. This report outlines how common sex in the workplace is (34% of exec women surveyed they knew of a female colleague who had an affair with the boss), the benefits and the costs for everyone.

Sometimes it worked, 37% of survey participants claim that the woman received a career boost. But that’s where the good news (if you can call it that) ends. 61% of men, and 70% of women lose respect for the leader involved, and 48% of men and 56% of women feel animosity for the couple. When the woman involved is a fairly junior one, every great assignment, pay rise or promotion she receives will be haunted by her colleagues (60% of male execs, 65% of female execs) assumptions that its in exchange for sexual favours. Stepping past attitudes, almost 40% of men and women saw decreased productivity because of the blow to morale an affair is.

The Work Life Policy Centre conducted this study, and it is an American study, but I imagine the attitudes, if not the statistics may be similar here. Having male allies is crucial for your career progression, so this is a serious issue.