While it may not make the human resource managers of the world happy, more than half of American professionals say they have participated in an office romance, according to Vault.com’s annual office romance survey.
Of those who have dated a coworker, 42 percent said they had an ongoing, casual relationship; 36 percent said they had a “random office hookup;” 29 percent had been in a serious, long-term relationship; and 16 percent had met their spouse or partner at work.
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Workplace romances are most common in the hospitality and tourism industry, where 62 percent of workers say they’ve gotten romantic with a coworker. Love is also in the air in the consumer products industry, where 59 percent of workers have dated each other, and in the retail and advertising business (58 percent).
More than one in 10 people said that they were currently in a relationship with a coworker, and nearly two-thirds said they would have another office romance. The majority of workers who’ve been involved in an office romance said they’ve had more than one.
Acceptance of office romances varies, with 6 percent of workers believing that they’re completely unacceptable, 33 percent disapproving when they’re between co-workers at different levels; and 30 percent believing that co-workers who collaborate on projects shouldn’t collaborate on anything else.
Women are more likely than men to have participated in an office romance, but they tend to engage in more long-term relationships. Men are more likely than women to have engaged in a random office hookup, or an ongoing, casual relationship.
