Every Had An Office Romance? New Study Says 86% Of Remote Worker Say Yes!

The viral “kiss-cam” incident at the Coldplay concert, has catapulted the evolving, often complex, dynamics of romance in today’s professional landscape into the public spotlight. The firestorm indicates a need for public discussions of office romances that have, for the most part, been lacking. Plus, the incident reflects how technology and remote work are reshaping office romances, removing physical boundaries, opening the door to emotional connections and underscoring a dire need for well-defined company policies on office romances. Employees spend so much of time at the office, communicating and working with colleagues that it’s only natural for office romances to occur. When clear company policies are absent, office romances, especially between a supervisor and an employee, raise concerns about the potential impact on fairness and company culture, especially when an HR leader is involved. According to a study from Forbes.com a few years ago, HR personnel dated coworkers at a higher rate than any other department. Blind’s “Workplace Romance in America” survey of 8,784 employees from some of the country’s most prominent companies, revealed that 42% of HR personnel had dated coworkers at some point, and nearly eight percent were currently dating coworkers. Employees (39%) in the Marketing and Communications department confessed to dating coworkers, and 36% working in Sales, Service and Support departments said they dated coworkers. Companies with the highest rate of employees dating one another were ExxonMobil (14%), StubHub (13%) and DigitalOcean (11%). Earlier this year, SHRM Thought Leadership surveyed 1,071 U.S. workers and 2,283 HR personnel and found that 52% of U.S. workers are currently or have been in a workplace romance. And some of those employees admit that they engage in public displays of affection during the romance, despite knowing it’s inappropriate. Remote work removes physical barriers, but not emotional ones.

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With the rise in remote work, it would seem that the physical separation would reduce the numbers of office romances, but the opposite is true. I spoke with Zety career expert, Toni Frana, about why remote work is changing the way we navigate office romances. Frana told me that while remote work limits physical barriers, it opens up a set of emotional connections, in fact, possibly even accelerating intimacy. “Zety’s survey found that 86% of employees believe remote work makes it easier to form romantic connections,” she says. “Virtual meetings create windows into people’s lives. Coworkers may see your living room, pets and even your casual dress for work. These glimpses into the personal side of a coworker can build bonds that wouldn’t ordinarily be built in an office environment.”

Source: Forbes