Office Romances Cost British Companies Millions
When entering the working world it is true that the majority of people you meet will be work related.
New research from dating site illicitencounters.com shows that although most companies don’t have a clause in contracts forbidding office romances, it is costing them thousands due to lack of productivity.
The dating site issued two surveys, one for employees and one for businesses to respond to.
The individual survey read ‘Are Office Romances a Good Idea?’ and the one sent to 200 companies was named ‘Impact of Office Romances on UK Businesses’.
From the individual survey, 75 per cent of respondents admitting to having considered a work place romance with 54 per cent having engaged in at least one and 27 per cent admitting to more than one.
Only 6 per cent of employees stated that there contract forebode them from having an office romance and 35 per cent said that their employer had no problems with it at all.
When it came to workplace productivity, only 16 per cent said they felt it had no effect on their productivity at all, whereas 84 per cent admitted it did and 38 per cent said it definitely did.
Only 20 per cent of respondents claimed that they had been disciplined at work for taking part in an office romance.
On the business side of things, only 16 per cent of businesses said that work place relationships have no impact on productivity and 48 per cent said it only had minimal impact.
This is most likely why nearly three quarters of UK businesses have no formal or informal policy to stop their employees engaging in work place romances.
Despite this 51 per cent of companies said they would encourage employees to find a relationship outside of the work place to improve productivity and save money and 32 per cent said they would consider having a clause put into the contracts.
In the last 12 months, the average cost to each business from issues relating to office romances was over £65,000, making the total of 200 companies in access of £13million.
Mike Taylor, Spokesperson for IllicitEncounters.com, said, “These are some shocking statistics and we have barely scratched the surface. You will never stop people from developing romantic feelings towards their co-workers which can often lead to a full blown affair.
“However we offer a discreet and safe online dating platform for those seeking extra marital romances, allowing workers to focus their attention on their work in their work place.”
Do you think it’s fair for employers to stop workplace relationships? Let us know your thoughts by commenting below or tweeting us @FemaleFirst_UK
Cara Mason
tagged in Love relationships romance Workplace Relationship Affair