So, ol' pal, ol' buddy, what's a frolleague, then, me ol' segotia?Frolleagues are the latest menace in the workplace, out to destroy your career by luring you into social situations, becoming your friend, and totally compromising you professionally.

My dearest, most excellent friend! Who would want to do such a thing to a wonderful, fab and - dare I say it - good-looking workmate such as you?

Frolleagues are work colleagues who have been promoted to the status of friends. This usually happens after they go out for a drink after work, have a few pints too many, and end up staggering down Leeson Street locked in each other's arms singing Two Little Boys. After that, they are firm frolleagues. Frolleagues are also created online - when you accept a "friend" request from a workmate on a social networking site, such as Facebook or LinkedIn.

Sounds like the best of both worlds, eh, buddy? Working with your bezzie mate.

Ah, yes, you can both poke fun at the boss, but frolleagues carry hidden dangers.

What hidden dangers, pray tell, me old fruit?

Well, LinkedIn, the social networking site for professionals, has warned that mixing friends and colleagues online could blur the lines between work and play, and workmates could end up finding out more about your private life than you may want them to know.

Get away! You can trust me, me ol' mucker! I wouldn't shop me best mate to the boss, now, would I?

Okay, maybe there's an element of scaremongering in it, but LinkedIn says you should be cautious if a workmate sends you a friend request online. They may mean well, but would you want a workmate you don't know too well finding out about your wild clubbing in Ibiza, your skinny-dipping sessions in Sandycove, or your stag nights in Bulgaria?

Mum's the word, matey boy. Your secret's safe with me.

LinkedIn did a survey and found that 47 per cent of its users accept friend requests from colleagues, even though they may not feel comfortable about it. Although nearly three-quarters of LinkedIn's users would prefer to keep their business lives and personal lives separate, 36 per cent felt obligated to accept their colleaques' requests. The result is that everybody knows your business - including the boss.

So what? It's not like you're giving pole-dancing lessons to the boss's wife. Are you? Good grief!

For many people, the workplace is where their strongest friendships are forged, and socialising with workmates is not always fraught with the danger of demotion or dismissal. "I've been on holidays with frolleagues," writes Bryony Gordon in the Telegraph. "Neil, the frolleague to the left of me, knows everything about my love life, and I know everything about his. I have probably done things I shouldn't do with frolleagues, but we are all grown-ups around here."

Try at work: Darling, I think my wife suspects something, so we'll have to end it. But we can always remain frolleagues.

Try at home: Er, there's a guy at the door, says he's your workmate, and that you invited him along on our honeymoon.