Workplace romances may be more common than you think—and the numbers may be on the rise.
According to CareerBuilder’s annual Valentine’s Day survey, 41% of workers have dated a coworker (up from 37% last year and the highest since 2007).
Additionally, 30% of these office romances have led to marriage, on par with last year’s findings.
The national survey was conducted online by Harris Poll on behalf of CareerBuilder from Nov. 16 to Dec. 6, 2016, and included a representative sample of 3,411 full-time, private-sector workers across industries and company sizes.
Workplace romances are just not happening between peers: Of those who have had an office romance, more than one in five (29%, up from 23% last year) have dated someone in a higher position than them—a more common occurrence for women than men (33% versus 25%).
Fifteen percent of workers who have had an office romance say they have dated someone who was their boss.
And as if dating a superior weren’t risky enough, 19% of office romances involved at least one person who was married at the time.
Avoiding Office Gossip
Keeping a relationship out of work is hard work.
Nearly two in five workers who have had an office romance (38%) had to keep the relationship a secret at work.
Male workers were just as likely to keep their office romances secret (40%) compared to their female counterparts (37%).
By region, of those who have had office romances, 45% of workers in the Northeast say they kept their office relationships secret compared to 41% in the South, 34% in the West, and 31% in the Midwest.
Lust, Love, and Heartbreak
About one in five employees (21%) say what someone does for a living influences whether they would date that person (18% of men and 24% of women).
Seven percent say they currently work with someone they would like to date this year.
Unfortunately, not all workplace relationships end happily ever after—and some result in more than heartbreak: Five percent of workers who have had an office romance say they have left a job because of an office relationship gone sour.
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