Love is in the air….but is it in the Office?

With Valentine’s day here, chocolates and flowers cluttering every available shopping aisle that you walk down and every man, woman and pooch vigilantly looking for “the one”, it got me thinking about how if on average we roughly spend a minimum of 9 hours a day in the office and if I want to find love, could an office romance be the way forward?!

I have no shame in admitting that as a young singleton the most common way to date is down the route of technology. Dating app upon dating app, such as the likes of Bumble, Plenty of Fish and of course the old favourite Tinder are constantly updating with bigger and brighter ways to help me find love. Categorising my ideal type in the form of height, eye colour and whether they have a dog in their profile picture is what I’ve been used to but if I want success, is it time to put the phone down and start looking at the people that I see every day by the kettle? A recent survey found that 52% of people who work in recruitment believe it is acceptable to date someone that you work with…..looks like the odds are in my favour so far!

An Office Romance – Can it Work?

I guess the first question would be, is an office romance even worth pursuing? What would the pros and cons be of being with someone who you then have to go to work with?! Would it bring extra difficulties that a relationship outside of the office wouldn’t have to deal with or could it have the opposite effect and create a stronger bond that stands not just the test of everyday life but also the test of strategy meetings and meeting targets.

So what are the most common pros and cons:

Spending time together – This could be seen as a plus point, especially during the beginning of your relationship, when everything is new and exciting being able to spend all day together could help solidify budding love! However…there is such a thing as overkill! Being around each other all the time might be more than a little suffocating, especially during an argument!

Working under your loved one – Now this could be a massive bonus as everyone wishes for a colleague that keeps you happy, motivated and supported throughout the day. Who better to do this than the person you love, to have no fear about asking for support or admitting that you might have made a mistake…sounds like bliss! But what about when you disagree on the direction that the job should go on?! Would you be able to openly go against their idea and then still go home at the end of the night without any bad blood remaining?

Having your private life into the public eye – New relationships, especially when “forbidden” or “secret” always adds an air of excitement. Stealing hidden glances across your desks in front of your fellow work friends or meeting in the toilet for…… Keeping things private keeps things fun but what then happens if it all blows up…..and the dreaded break up becomes water cooler gossip! Would this spilt up a well oiled team because two individuals can’t stand to be in the same room as each other. 50% of people have said that they wouldn’t enter into an office relationship because it involves bringing your private life into the public eye and 25% said they wouldn’t want to make co-workers feel awkward.

What do the bosses think?

It’s all well and good finding the one you want to share your life with as well as a lift into work but how do the employers feel about their staff getting together? Does it cause unnecessary issues for your boss if they have to deal with the fall out of petty arguments or could it help business boom with better communication skills and better tolerance towards a co-worker who you love?

Our Chief Page Tuner & MD, Iain Blair gave his opinion saying “As the boss, office romances can be fraught with issues. Typically most people are against them as they often end in disaster ….however it was through work that I met my wife so I’m not sure I can be too hypocritical about the subject!”

So do you think an office romance is the way to go or would you rather do it the old fashioned way away from the prying eyes of fellow co-workers and suspecting bosses? Personally, I think love can have its issues regardless of where you meet and what you do with your day so if I happen to meet Mr. Right during the hours of 9:00 – 5:30 then that suits me just fine.