More Employees Trysting in the Office, says Vault
27.5% of employees admit to having had a tryst in the office, up from 23%
NEW YORK, January 30, 2006: Cupid is still in the cubicle... and the conference room, the supply closet, and on the boss's desk. According to the 2006 edition of the annual Office Romance Survey by career publisher Vault Inc., 27.5% of employees admit to having had a tryst in the office, up from 23% last year.
Survey respondents are not shy about where they are getting it on. Oft-cited office locales include: the conference room, the boss's office/on the boss's desk, the office of one of the participants, the bathroom, server room, elevator, and supply closet. According to one survey respondent, "The danger of getting caught made it really exciting..."
Vault's 2006 Office Romance Survey was conducted in early-mid January and is comprised of 693 responses from employees representing a variety of industries across the U.S.
Regarding office romance policies, 21% of respondents reported that their companies have an office romance policy, up from 17% last year. The most prevalent type of policy is one stating that employees cannot date a direct subordinate or superior. To that point, 15% of survey respondents admit to dating a boss or superior, while 20.5% have dated a subordinate.
The number of couples successfully hiding their office romances (30.5%, up from 26% last year) has risen, while the number of office couples being completely open about their relationships has fallen from 19% last year to 12% this year. One survey respondent stated, "No one knew we were dating even after we got engaged. We were 'outted' by his boss at a joint departmental meeting."
Also from this year's survey: 23% of respondents were open about their relationships with just a few close friends; 24.5% tried to hide their relationships, but a few people found out; and 10% tried to hide their relationships, but everyone found out anyway.
Judging by the fact that there is no decrease since last year in the percentage of respondents who have had an office romance (still 58%) and those who stated that an office romance is currently taking place at their company (43%), it is obvious that workplace romance is not cooling down. But all workplace couplings are not innocent, as Vault found that a surprising 50% of employees have known a married co-worker to engage in an affair with someone else at the office. One respondent stated, "It was extremely messy and disruptive. The spouse was a friend to some of the employees and it created great difficulties..."
Also unexpected was that 38% of employees have experienced unwanted advances from a co-worker. "Awkward is the word and there is no other way to put it...," one employee stated regarding this uncomfortable situation.
While last year's finding that 22% of survey respondents found long'term love at the office remained the same in this year's Vault Office Romance Survey, there is the new phenomenon of the "office husband" or "office wife" to consider. The office husband/wife is someone that an employee does not have a romantic relationship with, but spends a lot of time with during the workday (on breaks, at lunch, etc.); 32% of survey respondents have one.
Most that do have an "office spouse" feel that there is no reason to keep aspects of this relationship hidden from their actual spouses or significant others. "I tell my real wife about going to lunch, etc. with my 'work wife,'" said one employee. But not everyone feels that way, as another survey respondent said, "If I talk about my 'work husband' too much and in a somewhat too positive light, my real husband starts to get suspicious and a little jealous; mind you, nothing is going on, we probably have "mini-crushes" on each other, but no more."
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