Love is in the air, at workplace!

New Delhi: It’s that special time of year when romance is in the air and the American workplace is abuzz. According to the latest Spherion Workplace Snapshot survey 25 percent of office romances result in marriage in the US.

The romance is worth the risk, as 42 percent of workers romance openly, compared to 35 percent who keep it a top secret.

Women are more likely than men to feel that a romantic relationship at work might jeopardize their jobs (47 percent versus 36 percent), so it’s not surprising that—of those who have had a workplace romance—more women than men kept it under wraps (41 percent compared to 31 percent).

Where does it end?

Women are more likely to date for several years (21 percent) compared to men (11 percent), but men are somewhat more inclined to take it to the altar than women.

Older workers are much more likely to report having married their valentines than workers under age 30, and workers under age 40 are more likely to date openly.

“The results of this survey confirm what we know intuitively—that many workers find opportunities for romance where they work,” says John Heins, senior vice president and chief human resources officer at Spherion.

“The new wrinkle is the explosion of online venues such as blogs, YouTube and social networking sites, which provide very public means for personal news to be shared. Becoming a target of gossip on the Internet does have the potential to affect career advancement and job security, especially when the relationship is clearly not appropriate. Workers today should be realistic about whether they can keep a workplace romance secret and should also be aware of the inherent risks.”

Female Workers More Likely to be Cupid-Cautious

• Only 30 percent of women would consider dating a coworker, compared to 47 percent of men.
• 47 percent of women think openly dating a coworker would jeopardize their job security or advancement opportunities, compared to only 36 percent of men.

Cupid’s Productivity Stats

Can Cupid Be Tamed?

• According to the survey, more than half of U.S. workers (53 percent) say their employer does not have a policy regarding workplace romance, while only 16 percent say there is such a policy.
• Nearly one-third (31 percent) were not sure if their employer has a policy.

source: spherion.com