Data & Research February 13, 2008

No Foolin?

Seems like there’s a lot of monkey business going on at work.

Reported by

On this Valentine’s Day, nearly half (48%) of respondents to Vault.com’s 2008 Office Romance Survey say they have known a married colleague to have an affair with someone at the office – and four-in-ten say they know a married or seriously involved coworker who had a romantic liaison with someone while on a business trip.

Romantic trysts have occurred in the boardroom, the janitor’s closet, the break room, a stairwell, the parking lot, the restroom, and the boss’ office, according to the survey

It’s not all about illicit trysts, of course – one-in-five said they met their spouses or long-term significant others at work, while 10% met those partners through co-workers. Almost half (46%) admit to having an office romance themselves, and nearly a quarter said they had actually engaged in some kind of tryst in the workplace. The Vault’s Office Romance Survey was conducted in January 2008 and consists of responses from 945 employees representing various industries across the United States.

“Energized?’

On a related note, Italian sexologist Serenella Salomoni claims that having an office romance actually improves the quality of your work. Researchers found the thrill of a fling “raised energy levels and led to better professional capacity,” according to Reuters. Salomoni said “ “We discovered that people who had an office romance said they were happier, more energetic and more productive’ – and one in three owned up to having a relationship with a superior to enhance their career.

Those “entanglements’ can, of course, also turn out badly. Perhaps recognizing that, Japanese marketing firm Hime & Company has added “heartache leave’ to its sick leave offering for staff. And, breakups may hurt, but apparently younger workers are expected to bounce back sooner. Workers age 24 years or younger can take one “heartache leave” day per year, while those between 25 and 29 can take two days, and those older can take three days, the company said.