Romance can happen everywhere. But what if does it happen in the office?

Actually, a situation like this is very common. People nowadays are working hard and they spend a great part of their daily routine in the office. They are involved mostly with people in their job. As a result, they can feel very close to them and it’s easy to get entangled in a romance situation.

To be more precise, 45% of employees have dated a coworker at least one time in their life, and 31% of these employees ended up getting married. Another perhaps unexpected fact is that 66% of workers stated that they started an office romance during the winter months.

Of course, there are some industries where workplace romances are more prevalent. For example, people who are working in the sector of finance, aviation, and arts are more likely to have a romance in the workplace.

But how should a HR manager mitigate potentially awkward situations due to workplace romance?

Should they be strict, prohibiting any kind of romance in the office place, or should they be patient, trying just to set some boundaries in regards to relationships?

Oftentimes being tolerant and understanding in this type of situation may be a good solution, as sometimes is really difficult to avoid a romance. Explain the company policy about this issue to your employees and try to set some boundaries in order to safeguard the peace at your office. If the situation gets out of control, take action – but only if it is a necessity.

Market Inspector has made an infographic that displays fact and figures about workplace romances, as well as some tips in order to handle it as a HR manager.

Anatomy of Workplace Romance

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