A Workopolis study reveals that close to 20% of Canadians have had an office romance. Often kept under wraps, these idylls sometimes result in happy endings.
The champions of office flirting are British Columbiansone-third of whom were ready to look for love at work. The Atlantic provinces, on the other hand, seemed less inclined to indulge in such office antics, with only 22% of those polled stating they would agree to this type of relationship.
Younger people are, of course, more enterprising: 60% of 18–24-year-olds would not turn down an opportunity for romantic involvement at work, vs 25% for 35–44-year-olds. Men were also more receptive than women (30% vs 23%).
Some office flirtations turn into the real thing: 15% of Canadians reported having met their current partner at the office. Work also ranks third as a place to meet people, just after introductions by friends (23%) and meeting someone at school (16%). Ontario workplaces seem to be the most conducive to long-term relationships (18%), compared to those in Manitoba or Saskatchewan (10%).
One-quarter of employers officially forbid office dating, which 35% of Canadian employees disagreed with. Only 8% of 18–24-year-olds had no objection. The strictest employers were to be found in Alberta, where 36% frowned on intra-employee relations.
Are office dating bans the reason for keeping such relationships quiet? Close to half (45%) of workers in such situations tried to keep them secret, or to be as discreet as possible. Young professionals were, once again, the least reserved, with more than 80% openly dating co-workers.