Employees all for office romance

Local employees believe it’s easier to find a life partner at work and are supportive of office romances, with a third admitting they have dated someone from work.

A majority (53.3%) of 315 Singaporean employees and 100 employers surveyed by JobStreet.com said they have dated someone lower down in the organisation while 37.2% said they have dated up. Only 10% of respondents admitted they have engaged in an office romance with their direct supervisor.

Of those who have dated within their company, 57% said the relationship lasted at least a year, and a quarter of respondents have ended up married to their co-worker.

However, three quarters said they have kept their office romances a secret from colleagues despite 69% believing office romance should be accepted amongst single staff members, as long as it did not result in a conflict of interest.

In fact, 41% of respondents believe office romance would help boost their morale and 22% felt it would not impact their productivity.

As employees become more comfortable with the idea of office romance, leaders may want to start thinking about addressing the issue to avoid confusion.

Three quarters of respondents said they were not sure if their company had a policy on office romances in place, 20% said it was an unspoken policy, and only 5% said there was something in writing.