Study: Office Romances on the Rise for Employees Aged 18 to 29

You look across the other side of your office cubicle and he or she is pretty attractive and single to boot.

So, should you show some interest in them or keep romance out of the equation?

According to a recent study through employee benefits provider Workplace Options, 84 percent of those workers aged 18 to 29 indicate they would date a co-worker, while 71 percent report they believe workplace romance is a positive thing that betters both office performance and morale.

A spokesperson for the company noted that, “The first thing that pops up is the difference in attitude between the generations. The millennials are looking at this through rose-colored glasses. Workplace relationships can have a negative effect if they aren’t managed well.”

Further broken down, the survey notes that 40 percent of millennials report it is fine to be in a relationship with a supervisor and then use social media to advertise that. Some reasoning behind that approach could be that younger workers have less of a commitment to remaining with an employer due to the fact they are early in their career. Older workers, meantime, grew up in an era where being involved with a co-worker was more frowned upon as it relates to job security.

The size of the company oftentimes plays a role in whether or not two workers will get involved with one another. Should it be a smaller office, there is usually less of a chance due to the fact fewer employees means a better chance of someone finding out about the relationship. For those larger employers, it can be more tempting for two workers to get into a relationship behind it can be easier to hide it.

The survey also pointed out that 47 percent of individuals’ note having witnessed workplace romances; while 57 percent state that if they did partake in an office romance, they would not go out of their way to be quiet about it, stating they would share the news with both co-workers and friends.

So, if you have been considering getting involved with a co-worker, here are some things to consider:

• Make sure you know the company’s policy before embarking on such a venture. If the company has a ‘no dating’ policy among co-workers and you and another employee are caught doing just that, you could lose your job;
• Consider the repercussions should you and the co-worker be dating and then decide to break up. Could you continue working with that person in such a situation? If not, it could make for a rather uncomfortable situation;
• Will being involved with a co-worker impact your ability to do your job? Will you be trying to spend extra time with them during the day when your efforts should be focused on work? If that is the case, it could impact your workplace productivity;
• Are you prepared to potentially be the center of office gossip? Whenever two co-workers end up dating, there will inevitably be some gossip when others find out what is going on. If you’re not prepared to have co-workers talking behind your back, think twice about getting involved with someone in the first place.

Some office relationships end up leading to the altar, while others lead up to broken hearts and even job dismissals.

If you are even having second doubts about getting involved with someone at work, your gut is probably correctly telling you something.

Photo credit: news.com.au

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