How Office Romances Can Disrupt Work
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How Office Romances Can Disrupt Work
Love happens, but when a romance is kindled in the office, things can quickly take a turn for the worse, according to a new survey. -
Romantic Setting
37% of employees have dated a co-worker. -
Wedding Bells
33% of those who have dated a co-worker have ended up marrying their colleague. -
Dating Up
23% of those who have had an office romance dated someone who held a higher position than them. -
Hush-Hush!
33% of employees who dated a colleague have tried to keep the relationship a secret at work. -
Most Likely Places/Times When Office Romances Begin
Late at night on the job: 12%, Happy hour after work: 10%, Chance meeting outside work: 10%, Lunches: 9% -
Dump File
5% of workers who have dated colleagues have had to leave a job because of an office relationship gone sour. -
Muddled Message
45% of employees overall don't know whether their company has a dating policy in place. -
Status Update
65% say they're confident that they know the relationship status of everyone in their office. -
Connection Criteria
22% of employees overall say the occupation of a person influences whether they'd date them. -
Just Friends!
8% say they have a platonic "office spouse."
As a CIO, you're probably so focused on serving as the strategic bridge between tech and business that you have little time to think about, well, who in your IT department is dating whom. But, as with any topic related to interpersonal relations, it's something you shouldn't ignore. Especially when a number of employees admit that they've had to leave a job because of an office romance gone sour, according to a recent, Valentine's Day-themed survey from CareerBuilder. A significant share of professionals, in fact, have dated co-workers and a large number of these relationships have even led to marriage. However, certain situations can get a bit sticky, especially when a staffer starts seeing someone who holds a higher job position. What would help, of course, are written company policies that make clear as to what's OK and what isn't. However, a great deal of workers say they don't know whether their organization has a dating policy in place. So in lieu of a formal, corporate policy, you may want to develop your own guidelines for the IT department. More than 3,250 workers took part in the research. For more about the survey, click here
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