We often hear about office romances that turn into office marriages, in fact one of our clients has a husband and wife who met in their last job and are still working together 12 years later – although when we laid out their new office last year we did notice they had their backs to each other!
With more people working from home over the last 12 months, we can’t help but wonder if the loss of daily social contact between colleagues will hurry the end of the office romance….
Love is in the air
The office has been the catalyst for romance since . . . well, forever, really and it’s not too surprising when you think about it. People thrust together for at least eight hours every day, five days a week – not to mention any work-related socialising.
Did you know that:
- Two out of three people admit that they would date a work colleague
- One in 10 meet their future life partner at work
Constantly seeing and speaking to each other, it’s little wonder that one thing leads to another and closer, more affectionate, bonds are formed which often lead to permanent relationships.
It’s the ideal scenario for developing friendships, meeting like-minded people and falling hook, line and sinker for the partner of your dreams.
Then along comes COVID!
The pandemic saw offices closed and a new normal of working from home and with social contact severed, the office romance is now in real danger of becoming extinct.
Colleagues have been denied the face-to-face contact where love can flourish with meetings consigned to impersonal Zoom meetings and any occasional online social gathering.
Gone is the need to look our best for work, or anyone we are trying to impress, as, for many, remote working and Zoom meetings require little effort in terms of dress or appearance.
The art of being alluring, flirting and becoming sexually appealing to the colleague you are keen on faces being lost in the trials of Covid and restrictions of lockdown, so just how can the office romance survive?
We believe that staying connected with others during enforced isolation is vital to good health and wellbeing and it’s important that we all make every effort to maintain contact with people outside our immediate bubble. It really is good to talk!
And that will keep potential office romance alive too….
We hope love in the workplace will see a revival as things return to normal. The office romance isn’t dead, it’s just been put on hold for a while!