Valentine's Day is just around the corner and with us spending so many hours of our lives at work, it’s no surprise that this is where plenty of new romantic interests develop. Over the last 12 months, more and more of us have been returning to the office giving Brits an in-person opportunity to seek office romances.
A return to the office coupled with a cost of living crisis is likely to have changed the habits of UK office workers, they may be pursuing new relationships, but can they afford to? With this in mind, we surveyed 1,000 UK office workers to get their opinions on workplace romances and whether the cost of living will be creating a cost of loving.
To Ban or Not to Ban?
Whether it's a scandalous reveal of a relationship or two of your favourite colleagues giving it a shot, we asked our survey respondents for their opinions on office romances.
63% of respondents shared that they think they’re okay as long as they’re kept private and personal.
17% believe that they’re great as it’s nice that people can work with their partner.
14% are yet to make their mind up on their appropriateness, whereas 5% believe that they’re totally inappropriate and shouldn’t be allowed.
With age being a factor, it’s clear to see that older generations are less approving of the office romance with 66% of those who shared they’re inappropriate and shouldn’t be allowed were aged 55-64.
Workplace Romance Popularity
We asked our survey respondents if they had ever dated a work colleague.
45% of respondents shared that they have in fact dated someone they work with.
Having already secured a partner or not wanting to mix business and pleasure, over half of our respondents shared that they haven’t dated a fellow work colleague.
Disapproving of the office romance, it’s no surprise that over a third of respondents who shared that they’ve never dated a colleague were aged 55+. Of those who shared they had dated a work colleague, one in five were aged 25-34.
But do all great love stories start in the workplace? To find out more about whether the workplace is the perfect place to meet your partner, we asked our survey respondents where they met their most recent romantic partner.
- Almost a third of us met our partner through a friend or family member.
- 20% of met them at work.
- 10% met at a bar.
- 10% met through a social club or team.
- 10% through a dating website and
- 3% on a dating app.
Catching Your Crush’s Attention
With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, we asked our respondents if they were interested in starting a romantic relationship at work, which of the following tactics would they use to get their crush’s attention?
- Ask them on a date - 27%
- Invite them out for lunch - 20%
- Make them a tea or coffee - 14%
- Check-in with them regularly - 10%
- Congratulate them on their achievements - 8%
- Dress to impress - 8%
- Follow them on social media - 5%
- Ask for their help with a task - 3%
- Buy them a small gift or token - 2%
- Send them a funny GIF - 2%
It seems quality time is up there as one of the tactics for getting your crush’s attention, with going on dates, going for lunch, checking in with them and asking them for help being popular choices.
With the cost of living looming, however, it’s no surprise that none of our respondents voted for paying for their lunch or buying them a drink. Inviting your crush on a lunch date or for a drink may be one way to get their attention, but it doesn’t look like UK office workers will be putting their hands in their pockets to pay for it. Free tea or coffee from the kitchen anyone?
Would You Date Above Your Pay Grade?
Dating someone at work isn’t always easy, especially when it comes to hierarchy and what each of you earns!
With that in mind, we asked our survey respondents if they would rather date someone who earns more or less than them.
An admirable 83% shared that they don’t mind.
However 16%, over 1 in 6 of us, would rather date someone who earns more than us, and none of us would prefer someone who earns less.
We also delved deeper, asking our respondents if they went on a first date with someone who earns more than them, would they expect them to pay?
A fair 56% of us would split it fairly, regardless and an admirable 36% of us would be happy to pay even if we earned less, yet one in 12 of us would expect them to pay.
How Brits Are Securing a Valentine’s Date
With the cost of living in mind, we asked our survey respondents how they plan to secure a Valentine’s Day date this year.
42% of Brits are asking their crush out to dinner, who pays is a different story! This was followed by asking them out for drinks, 15% of UK office workers would suggest a few drinks after hours but it may be that 2-4-1 are on the cards.
12% of Brits admitted to sending a traditional Valentine’s Day card to their crush whereas 7% would buy them a gift. It seems that age-old traditions are still around.
Cheap and cheerful yet very office-esque, 2% revealed they’d leave a post-it note and another 2% would consider sending a Valentine’s email. Who said romance was dead?
More nervous to ask or actually plan a date 2% also revealed that they would wait for a workplace event to come up to spend quality time with their crush.
19% of respondents share ‘other’ revealing that they wouldn’t be the one securing the date and instead will be waiting to be asked, don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day, or are just happy to be single.
Have you got your eye on a fellow colleague? Asked your work crush on a date in a unique way? Let us know your thoughts on social media by using #instantprintuk!
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