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Office romance popular, risky
(Shanghai Daily)
Updated: 2004-10-13 09:52
Office romances are controversial and awkward, but they are also surprisingly
common among local white-collar workers, a recent survey
suggests.
ChinaHR.com, one of the country's leading Web-based
headhunters, surveyed 3,901 office workers in the city between the ages of 25
and 36 about their attitudes towards office affairs.
More than 53 percent
of office workers surveyed admitted that they have had at least one office
romance, while about 7 percent said they have been in a relationship with a
co-worker that lasted for at least two years.
The report suggests the
main reason office workers are falling in love at their cubicles is that strong
emotions can brew through long-term contact with an office colleague.
"To
be frank, the office is the only resource at hand for us to find Mr or Ms Right
as young office workers in modern companies are usually too busy to expand their
social circles," said Frances Wu, a consultant at an international accounting
company.
Wu says that endless hours of overtime made it difficult for her
to meet any man outside of the office. The 24-year-old is now in a relationship
with a mid-level manager at her company.
While many youngsters are
finding love on the job, not everyone approves.
About 40 percent of those
surveyed said such affairs are inappropriate. The report indicated that about 48
percent of respondents feel an inter-office love affair will not only affect
their own mood at work, but also have a negative impact on the rest of the
office.
Fears about damage to the working environment have caused many
bosses to ban employees from dating each other, otherwise one of the partners
will be transferred to other department or even dismissed, according to a human
resource manager surnamed Yang at a local IT company.
The survey suggests
about 40 percent of office lovers will keep their affair secret from
co-workers.
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