For the majority of Americans these are a necessary thing to have in order
to keep roofs over our heads, clothes on our backs, and food in our stomachs. It seems
that these days, employees are working well over the expected forty hours a week,
which leaves little time to go out and meet that someone special. Is it any wonder then
that most coworkers are finding themselves involved in an office romance? According
to recent studies, 48% of employees admit to being involved in an office romance at
some point in their careers (Voo). Several studies indicate that a high percentage of
employees have been involved in an office romance at some point in their careers
(Neff).
While there are fears amongst companies concerning dating in the workplace, they
seem to be more accepting to the changing social climates amongst employees
(Loftus). The question still remains though; is dating a coworker detrimental to your
career or do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?
Convenience and Comfort
Recent surveys have shown that the office is the number one place to meet
spouses. At least 31% of office romances lead to marriage (Voo). With more women
entering the work force every day, along with casual dress codes, informal socializing,
and longer work days, it is no wonder the office seems like the perfect hunting ground
for significant others. At work, there is no pressure to find a mate and throw yourself
into an intimate relationship right away. According to one office sex survey respondent,
“Work is the best place to meet a partner. You can get to know each other on a casual
basis, observe each other under stress, thereby having a pretty good idea of a person’s
character before you start to date” (Lever). It seems safer, not to mention more
convenient and comfortable, than going out to the bars and clubs to meet a partner.
Quality Time
Not only is it more convenient and comfortable to meet someone in the
workplace, it also makes going to work more fun. According to psychologist Elaine
Stevens, Ph.D., spending quality time together is one of the top reasons why coworkers
choose to take their relationships to the next level (Hughes). Employees are spending
at least forty hours a week at their jobs and those long hours at the office can be
grueling. Having your significant other there with y...
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...ther things, is the company that attracts more
employees. Ultimately the company who is able to change and accommodate is going
to be the one that survives and flourishes. As long as employees continue to handle
themselves in a diplomatic and respectable manner while participating in office
romances, companies will grow more tolerable to the romances.
Works Cited
Heathfield, Susan M. “The Scoop on Love Contracts.” About.com: Human Resources.
09 July 2009 .
Hughes, Zondra. "Dating On The Job: Is It Really Worth It.” Ebony. 60.11 (2005): 178-182.
Lever, Janet. “Office Romance: Are the Rules Changing?” The Conference Board
Review 34(2006): 6-12.
Loftus, Mary J. “Romance in the Workplace.” USA Today Nov. 1995: 28.
Meyer, Harvey. “Love and Romance in the Workplace.” Management and Human
Resources 11 July 2009
.
Neff, William. “Office Romance by the Numbers.” Cleveland.com 13 July 2009
.
Voo, Jocelyn. “How to Handle an Office Romance.” CNN 11 July 2009
.
Previous generations have a strong belief of keeping work and home life separate; that work is for work and home is for play (Rampell, 2011, para 21). Today’s professionals do not seem to abide by similar beliefs, constantly crossing the borders of one into the other. While many recognize this as an issue that could result in employees being less productive, it has actually resulted in them accepting that their work may run late into the evening or even into the weekend. I agree with this completely in that I grew up being taught that business is business and personal is personal; you leave your home life at the door. But now times have changed, and my weekends are no longer dedicated to my home life, but for work, because I attend classes during the week. Also, in my line of work in the Allied Health industry, it is a requirement to work off hours. Long gone are the days of working nine to five, Monday through Friday; technology and the demand of wanting affairs done and done as soon as possible, has made it so the “work week” is now 24-7. “Jon Della Volpe, the director of polling at Harvard Institute of Politics, said, ‘Some experts also believe that today’s young people are better at quickly switching from one task to another, given their exposure to so many stimuli during their childhood and adolescence’” (Rampbell,
Americans have little to no time off each week. According to the article, “Overworked America: 12 Charts That Will Make Your Blood Boil”,some countries give workers 37-48 hours off each week. Other countries give workers 24-36 hours off each week.Americans in comparison have barely any hours off(Gilson).Even on the weekends , Americans find their lives consumed by work. A survey given to employed email users showed that 50% of them checked their work email on the weekends and 34% check work email while on vacation(Gilson).Americans cannot find a medium between their work lives and their personal lives.
Cloud, Dr. Henry & Townsend, Dr. John. Boundaries in Dating: How Healthy Choices Grow Healthy Relationships. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2000. ISNB 978-0-310-20034-5
The first point that Farrell makes is that out of the number of working women that have families the majority tend to choose to work jobs that have more convenient and consistent hours. On the contrary, the majority of working men with families tend to choose to work longer and more sporadic hours. To back this up, Farrell reveals a statistic from the Rochester Institute of Technology that explains the motivation of men and women in the work force.
The main thesis of Eric Klinenberg’s book, Going Solo, is that living alone is a poorly understood subject by society, even as time went on. Living solo shapes our cities and economies, and how we grow in to our old age (Klinenberg, 2012, p. 16-17). It differs from many mainstream interpretations of “living alone” in contemporary society due to the fact that it offers a positive perspective on the topic; it also explains how the negative connotations of “living alone” were misconstrued due to datas being overstated from a paper that was published back in 1984 and 2004 (Klinenberg, 2012, p. 19). Social scientists, as well as general readers, didn’t take this into consideration, hence, the public put a shame on men and women who live the single life for too long. This negative connotation hurts single women even more because of family’s pressure of marriage and birth, on top of that, single women have a heavier workload than married women due to the misconception that they have more free time. Not only that, but single women who work more don’t get pay as much as they should for their extra effort.
Relationships among workplace peers are the most common type of organizational relationships. At times, these platonic relationships turn romantic which are often regarded as an organizational issue. A workplace romance (WR) is defined as a no-platonic bond between two members of an organization in which both sexual attraction and affection is present (Cowan & Horan, 2014). WRs are common in organizations. According to a poll by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), found that 40% of employees had been involved in a WR at some point in their careers (Cowan & Horan, 2014). The SHRM also found that over 70% of organizations do not have policies that prohibit WR. One of the most concerning questions that arises regarding workplace
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Psychiatrist's spend more than 48 hours a week at work. 60 percent of those 48
statistics became more distressing with the increase in hours of work. Women who work more
A majority of employees in today’s workforce work more than forty hours per week which leaves them little time to date or to meet new people. Employees often spend more time with their coworkers than their own families The increase in the amount of hours worked per work has caused some employees to pursue romantic relationships in the workplace. In a recent survey conducted by Workplace Options, nearly 85% of 18-29 years old would have a romantic relationship with a co-worker. () The increase in hours worked per week and acceptance of workplace dating among younger employees have forced employers to adopt policies that ban or limit workplace dating.
The Rationale Behind the Prevalence of Online Dating; Its pros and cons: A Pilot Study
People in society today can find potential sex partners in a heartbeat. In Nancy Jo Sales’ article “Tinder and the Dawn of the ‘Dating Apocalypse,’” she talks about how powerful the Internet and dating applications can be in helping one find potential partners. Jo Sales argues that dating applications and the Internet are not generally used for dating, but they are used for finding instant sex partners that lead to one-night stands. Short-term relationships are increasing due to the Internet and applications and will continue to increase in the future. Scholars have argued that sexual activity has tremendously increased, moving from traditional dating to a new style of dating called hookups. Also, research indicates numerous examples
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Studies show that people flourish in their work environment when there is a good fit
Being single also has its positive features. You can do whatever you want to; you are not limited by girlfriend or wife who usually you have to listen to. We decide about our life and no matter what we do, it is always our choice, basically we are responsible for decisions that we made.