86% of Europeans believe office romances should be allowed, whilst one third of Americans do not agree with office romances according to the Monster Meter
London 12th February 2004 - It’s said that more and more people meet their life-time partners at work, and with a prevailing culture of long working hours and increased time spent with colleagues, it’s not hard to see why offices romances are commonplace. The question is: do you need to tell your boss? Does it depend on your position within the company? Or is it your own business?
The Monster Meter asked, Should office romances be allowed by employers? Nearly 15,000 Europeans placed a vote. The results for the European poll revealed:
52% (7,867) Of course - your personal life is totally separate from work
21% (3,091) It depends on your position in the company
14% (2,129) No - office romances always lead to problems
13% (1,886) Yes, but your boss needs to know
Over half Europeans (52%) believe that office romances should be allowed without a doubt, as work life and personal life are separate entities. The majority of Italians (67%), the French (64%) and Irish (64%) subscribe to this point of view as do the majority of Brits (53%). However, some romances could potentially have an impact on other staff. This is why romances are often judged differently depending on the responsibilities and position within the company of the individuals involved. The Danish (36%), and Dutch (30%) particularly believe that these factors play an important role.
Nearly a third of Spaniards think that you’re safe if it’s not a secret - your boss needs to know, if you’re having a relationship with a colleague. But the Fins would argue that it’s none of their business, with only 2% stating that the boss should be informed.
The Luxembourgers and the Swiss stand out from the rest of Europe with a less lenient approach to office romances, as 38% and 18% of the respondents respectively claimed that they should not be allowed, since they always lead to problems. 15% of British respondents agree with them and are of the opinion that work and romance don’t mix well.
Across the pond, Americans have a much more conservative approach to office dating. The survey in the US of over 18,000 Americans revealed the following results:
35% (6,420) No - office romances always lead to problems
33% (6,076) It depends on your position in the company
26% (4,640) Of course - your personal life is totally separate from work
6% (1,047) Yes, but your boss needs to know
Differences in working cultures contribute to such contrasting results. Previous Monster Meter surveys showed that Americans work longer hours and enjoy less holidays than Europeans, but the social aspects of their work environment seem to be less enforced than amongst European workers. People don’t fall in love in the boardroom; it is during social events that workers get to know their colleagues better. Europeans are more likely to socialise outside the office with their colleagues - a trip down the pub or a walk to grab lunch opens the door to more personal inter-staff relationships.
One third of American respondents believe that people’s positions in the company should be taken into account. Relationships involving senior staff could potentially lead to confidential information being compromised and important decisions being biased.
Few Americans would argue that office romances should receive the boss’ blessing, with only 6% stating that the boss should be informed. In the UK, workers seem more open to sharing their private lives with their bosses as 11% of respondents believe that the boss needs to be aware of any office liaisons.
With employees spending more time in the office and socialising with each other, it is almost inevitable that romance will blossom between some workers. Whilst no boss would advocate office romances, it should not necessarily be outwardly discouraged. However, senior staff should be made aware of inter-staff relationships, especially when line management issues or sensitive information is discussed. said senior partner of leading city law firm.
Hernan Daguerre, director of communications, Monster Europe comments, The key to the success of every business lies within the workforce. As long as workers behave in a professional manner, their private lives should be respected. It is when private matters start interfering in business decisions or performance that bosses need to approach employees and discuss the issue.
The results of the current Monster Meter are based on votes cast by Monster.com visitors from 19th January to 2nd February 2004. Only one vote per user is counted toward the final tabulation. The Monster Meter, a product of Monster, the leading global online careers site and flagship brand of Monster Worldwide Inc., is a series of online polls that gauge users’ opinions on a variety of topics relating to careers, the economy and the workplace. Anyone interested in voting in Monster’s current online poll may do so by logging onto www.monster.co.uk.
Office Romances - Does your boss need to know?
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