Office Piranhas Threaten The Male Bosses

Remember Sharon Stone's role in Basic Instinct who seduced powerful men, hung on for the kill and ripped them to shreds.

A recent warning has been issued for male bosses for staying away from such attractive, overtly attentive, flirtatious and helpful colleagues, who are termed "office piranhas".

The name of the man-eating South American fish was borrowed by lawyer Diane Benussi to describe women who snapped up a high-flying colleague, whether he was married or not.

Such women wanted high-earning, high-flying, high-virility men who would place a ring on their finger, she said, adding that even a one night stand could leave men with a long-term financial hangover if it led to pregnancy.

"There are women who join companies with large amounts of male employees with the sole intention of looking for a partner," the Daily Mail quoted Ms Benussi as saying.

"At our end of the market, this can mean substantial maintenance payments, school fees and the provision of a house and car." The UK was experiencing an increasing number of cases involving single women chasing the fathers of their children for financial support - and office parties offered the ideal environment to trigger such relationships.