The Trends In Office Romances Are Changing, And The Statistics Look Bleak
The dating landscape is different now.
Researched, written by 
Amber & The Team
Updated on July 21, 2023
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Plenty of successful relationships start from office romances but recent trends in data show that workplace relationships are declining in popularity.
Business card specialists, instantprint, conducted a survey on how remote working has affected office romances and found that 56% of office workers would like to see them completely banned and 71% of Gen Z workers are totally against them.
The dating landscape is different now, with business romances becoming an inappropriate addition to the workplace.
The survey found 43% of Britons feel that office romance breakups create a bad atmosphere and 37% agree that dating a colleague is insensitive.
But how did this change come about?
Here is what we know about trends in workplace romances.
Why have the trends changed?
In the wake of movements like #MeToo, the language surrounding romantic relationships has changed and been discussed in relation to power.
As a result, 53% of Brits admit that they would think twice before pursuing an office romance.
Individuals also feel more empowered to speak out about inappropriate workplace encounters, with many high-profile cases reaching international news.
The increasing popularity of remote working also has a role in the decline of office romances.
Research shows that since the advent of the pandemic, there is a distinct absence of opportunity for workplace relationships and suggests working from home is a big factor in the death of office romances.
Will the office romance continue?
Despite these statistics, data also indicates that attempts to initiate office romances will continue as consistent exposure and interaction builds preferences regardless of location.
The instantprint survey confirms this, finding that the top thing UK office workers dreamed about in 2020 was securing a romance.
It was also found that interacting behind a computer screen hasn’t softened the blow of rejection.
58% of respondents agreed that they would prefer to have their advances rejected in person as it allows them to clear the air and reduces awkwardness when having to see each other.
How to bag a workplace Valentine’s Day date
While the statistics look bleak, there is still hope for some workplace romances so how can they woo their love interests in this working-from-home era?
On the build-up to Valentine’s Day, instantprint surveyed British office workers and found the most popular techniques for securing a virtual Valentine.
At the top was arranging a virtual lunch break together, with 32% of respondents agreeing they would do this.
Asking a colleague out for a virtual drink was a close second (29%) and sending them an email came in third (16%).
This is in comparison to previous methods that included sending an anonymous Valentine’s Day card (63%) or asking them ‘to meet me at the printer’ (10%).
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