Office Romance Persists, Even Without an Actual Office

The return to the office may be slow, but workplace romance is still thriving.

According to a survey by Resume Builder, which evaluated the prevalence of remote office romances, 33% of the group (1,250 self-identified remote workers) said they had started a romantic connection with someone they met remotely.

“Remote work is still a place where people are beginning romantic relationships,” Resume Builder said in a blog post about the survey, which was conducted in early February.

The survey included romances with other coworkers, clients, or investors. Coworkers clocked in at 23%. Of that, 45% were between a manager and a direct report, the blog post added.

Virtual workplaces represent a huge culture shift, and that includes how workers experience harassment — the virtual workplace could be less formal in tone with fewer people around to witness uncomfortable situations, per The New York Times.

“Since the start of the pandemic, employees have felt as if online environments are the Wild West, where traditional rules do not apply,” a DEI expert told the outlet in 2021.

Resume Builder noted the issue in the survey, and said more women than men reported experiencing sexual harassment in a remote environment.

“Unfortunately, working remotely may give bad actors more opportunities or confidence to sexually harass other employees,” said Stacie Haller, chief career advisor at Resume Builder in the post.

More men in the survey reported that they had begun relationships at work, at 41% versus 25%.

The survey focused on people who had worked remotely for a minimum of six months in the last three years.