Workplace Romance: Love Is in the Air, Policies Not in Place

HR Insider averaged the results from three surveys, two from job board giant CareerBuilder.com, and one from Vault.com, a leading career information portal, to arrive at the percentage of employees who have dated a coworker. While admittedly far from an exact figure—each survey includes a different number of respondents and the Vault.com survey skews toward younger workers—the results provide insight into workplace romance. Approximately 43 percent of employees admit to dating a coworker at some point in their career.

Alongside this number is the percentage of organizations that have no workplace policy in place. At 73 percent, it is based on the average of two surveys conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). Interestingly, even when an organization has a workplace romance or dating policy it may not be written. On average, more than one-third of employers surveyed say their policy is verbal.

Is it time for your organization to provide guidelines for workplace fraternization? Or should Cupid be the decision maker?