The best fringe benefit?
These days, it’s not the hope of a raise or a bonus that makes coming into the office bearable for most employees.
It’s that loving feeling for a coworker.
According to Vault’s 2009 Office Romance Survey, cubicles can’t blunt Cupid’s arrows.
In fact, workplace romances are very common: in a recent CareerBuilder.com poll of more than 8,000 people, 40 percent of them had engaged in an office romance.
The Vault survey is even higher: 58 percent see romance as a fringe benefit of their job.
Not that there’s anything wrong with that – at least, if both employees work on the same level. But problems can arise if one is the superior of the other because it becomes necessary to distinguish between sexual harassment and a mutually agreeable relationship.
If they haven’t already, many companies are instituting “love contracts” that ensure they are not responsible for the behavior that occurs within the context of the relationship.
Vault’s survey results are below. See how your experience stacks up to those who have found love as well as a career at the office:
1. Have you been involved in an office romance?
Yes (58%)
No (30%)
No, but would be willing to try (12%)
2. If yes, would you do it again?
Yes 49%
No 51%
3. Have you ever avoided or curtailed a potential romance that you would have otherwise pursued specifically to avoid an “office romance”?
Yes 50%
No 50%
4. Has your office romance flourished or ended because one or both of you got laid off?
Flourished 45%
Ended 55%
5. Does the shaky economy make you want to take more romantic risks at the office, or less?
More risks 20%
Less risks 80%
6. Have you ever dated your boss or someone you supervise?
Yes 21%
No 79%
7. Have you met your spouse/long-term significant other on the job?
Yes 26%
No 74%
8. If you’ve ever had an office romance, did you or your romantic partner eventually leave the company for any of the following reasons?
Yes, had no choice – got laid off. 39%
Yes, it was too awkward to work together after the break up. 26%
Yes, one of us had to leave because of a company policy forbidding an office romance 9%
Yes, we didn’t want to work together anymore after we became a couple: too much closeness 26%
9. Does your company have a policy on office romance?
Yes 35%
No 65%
10. Have you ever had a tryst in the office (either with a coworker or with your significant other from outside your workplace)?
Yes 32%
No 68%
11. Have you ever been caught in the midst of an office tryst?
Yes 7%
No 93%
12. Have you ever known a married coworker to have an affair with someone in the office?
Yes 57%
No 43%
13. Have you ever known of a married or seriously involved coworker who had a romantic liaison with another coworker while on a business trip for the company?
Yes 63%
No 37%
14. Do you have an office “husband” or “wife”? This is someone with whom you do not have a romantic relationship, but you hang out together all of the time (on breaks, at lunch, etc).
Yes 39%
No 61%
[Survey results: Vault]
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