Whilst it’s common knowledge that employees who feel engaged with their organisation tend to be more productive, what happens when they engage with one another and romance blossoms? Office love affairs have been around ever since the office was invented so are certainly nothing new, but the effects they can have upon the workplace range from good to disastrous!
Ladbrokes Bingo recently carried out a survey of 2,000 respondents to find out how lucky they are in love (or not as the case may be!) and there were some interesting stats around work-based romance.
22% of respondents admitted that their most recent fling began in the workplace – but is this a good idea? Given that the majority of these very same people are now singletons, perhaps not! Whilst 18-24 year olds are more likely to frequent bars and nightclubs than any other age bracket, 18% of them found love at work as opposed to 16% that did on a night out.
Flirting by the photocopier
35-54 year olds were more prone to being struck by Cupid’s arrow in the office than any other age group; 23% admitted to a work romance, whereas 19% found love through friends and family. Interestingly enough, singletons were revealed to be the biggest culprits for causing a stir at work – 26.94% of them said their most recent fling started at work.
It seems singletons are more comfortable flirting by the photocopier than they are on a date – 33% of them said they found the whole dating game ‘awkward’! When it came to region, residents of Birmingham, Oxford, Sheffield, Aberystwyth, Coventry, Edinburgh, Leicester and Norwich were most likely to begin a relationship with a colleague.
What should employers do?
Whilst it’s safe to say that work and romance have are bound to collide in most places of work, it’s how employers deal with it that makes a difference. Banning employees from being romantically linked will only cause more problems, alienating your workforce and driving dishonest behaviour, whilst actively encouraging it also sends out the wrong signal.
It may be worth considering drafting up some workplace romance guidelines which encourage employees to think twice before becoming romantically linked to a colleague. This should be made especially clear to anyone in a managerial or supervisory role who may have feelings for an employee in their direct charge – these can be the most toxic of office relationships for obvious reasons!
Whilst it would be unfair to ban two people that are clearly meant for one another to be together, such a policy will deter many from indulging in the kind of casual fling that leads to trouble. When you do have a situation where two colleagues are romantically linked, the best thing to do is adopt an open and honest approach.
When office love turns to hate!
Nobody wants to see a couple in the office flirting outrageously one day then fighting the next – the best way to avoid such a cringe-worthy situation is to try arrange a meeting with the couple in question. This will allow you to establish a way forward that works out best for them, you and most importantly, their colleagues.
If you are in a position where you must separate a couple who now hate each other’s guts, then just make sure that nobody is being demoted; this could lead to you being pulled up for discrimination. On the plus side, there are times when romance at work can have a positive effect on your team and make them more productive – it’s all about how you handle it!