But they are quite common.
The recent resignation of one of Airbnb’s most senior executives, who had to step down only four months in his new role amidst allegations of having a romantic relationship with an employee, shows how tricky office romances can be. Hong Ge, who was VP of the firm’s China operations, told colleagues he was leaving for another job but Bloomberg reported that his departure was actually the result of a workplace romance.
While workplace relationships are discouraged or outright banned by some organisations, a number of studies have suggested office romances are actually incredibly common. People who spend much of their lives in a common environment end up sharing hobbies, personality traits and intimacies. Many women consider it safer to date their co-workers, as it gives them more time to know each other. Moreover, employees who share similar education, interests, attitudes, values, and income levels, invariably tend to get closer. At times, even working on common projects fosters intellectual stimulation and emotional bonding.
US-based job portal CareerBuilder's annual Valentine's Day survey, the results of which were released earlier this year, found that 41 percent of workers had dated a co-worker (up from 37 percent last year and the highest since 2007). Additionally, 30 percent of these office romances have led to marriage, on par with last year's findings.
The national survey, ,which was conducted online by Harris Poll and included a representative sample of 3,411 full-time, private sector workers across industries and company sizes, and found that: Of those who had had an office romance, more than 1 in 5 have dated someone in a higher position than them — a more common occurrence for women than men. The trouble with office relationships is that they are difficult to keep secret, and the resulting office gossip around that relationship can be unhealthy for the business. It has been observed that couples at workplace tend to remain cooped up with each other, causing dissatisfaction among other colleagues. On the other hand, a fight at home may also leave its after-effects at the workplace.
Of those who had engaged in an office romance, 31 percent said the relationship led to marriage, 28 percent said they had dated someone above them in the company hierarchy and 18 percent said they had dated their own boss.
Although most companies have policies that protect employees from sexual harassment, and other forms of physical and verbal abuse, there are very few that have formal policies governing romance at the workplace. The reason, possibly, is that it is impossible to do so. Banning a workplace romance is not a viable option since employees tend to regard it as an affront to their privacy and out of tune with workplace ethics. Moreover, some studies have revealed that workplace romances contribute to the enhanced morale, better communication and subsequently improved productivity. Office romance often translates into long-term commitments, which are beneficial for the company.
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