We know that work is a place where people bring their passion, their anxieties, and everything else they’re dealing with at home and elsewhere in life. It shouldn’t really surprise us that people get crushes on their co-workers and sometimes take it to the next level. But we don’t talk about love and lust at work. We don’t acknowledge that people sometimes act on their office attractions, even though it happens all the time. Taking into account that most people spend the majority of their lives working with the same group of people every day, there is no surprise that romance and sexual relationships happen in their plenty in work environments.
In fact, according to a 2013 survey by Businessweek, 90% of workers are turned on by someone they work with and 85% think that workplaces should not ban sexual encounters between their staff members. Of the 90% of people attracted to their colleagues, 64% had made a move for a co-worker or have fantasized about being with them. Just over half (54%) go as far as to sleep with their office crush and 55% of those only engage in the act the once with one night stands the most common form of office encounter.
These are pretty astounding stats, which show just how common office romances really are in today’s culture.
Keep it secret is not easy
If you have a crush on a work colleague but don’t want to be the subject of water-cooler gossip, then there are a few dating tips you can follow to keep your romance a secret.
Firstly, you need to make sure that both you and your colleague are prepared for the risks of sleeping with each other while working together. You need to ensure that your productivity and work will not be affected and that there is no risk to your career.
Next, it is important to set clear boundaries at work to help you avoid detection. This means not engaging in trysts in public parts of the office or communal areas such as lifts – no matter how tempting. You should also avoid sending any sexy messages via company email addresses or other communication methods which may be intercepted. Avoiding engaging in sexual encounters in the workplace is another piece of relationship advice that can help you avoid being caught out. It may remove some of the intoxicating risk & excitement but it will guarantee that you’re not caught in a compromising position that needs explaining to HR.
The most important thing is to be careful and remember, if things don’t work out, you will still have to work with this person so be prepared for the uncomfortable atmosphere before you commit yourself to an office romance.