Dating a coworker is always a bit of a sticky proposition, with people unwilling to do the necessary steps in order to keep things hush hush from other coworkers. That can lead to office drama and favoritism, at times, especially if the two people aren’t the most mature about the relationship.
Being attracted to a coworker is 100 percent natural. After all, when you get a bunch of talented and (normally) outgoing people in one place, where they’ll be spending 40+ hours per week together, there will be some flirting going on. Even if it’s not intentional, sometimes, it leads to dating a coworker. At the very least, it could end with a drunken hookup following an office party.
That whole hooking up with a coworker thing is a conversation for another day. However, today, we’re going to tell you the exact reason why you crush on the office hottie — and what leads us to even think about wanting to date a coworker in the first place.
According to a recent Business Insider article, who spoke with David Brudö, the CEO and cofounder of the mental well-being app Remente, the simplest reason why so many people are so interested in dating a coworker in the first place is time spent together.
“Most adults spend a minimum of 1,680 hours per year in the office, so you are likely to spend more time with your coworkers than almost anyone else. While you do not have a say in who your coworkers are, chances are that you will have common interests.”
“Working with someone daily, you will see how they respond to a problem, act under pressure, and interact with other coworkers,” he said. “It is also easy to start sharing personal information and commiserating about difficulties faced in the office — perhaps over a lunch or after-work drinks.”
That makes plenty of sense — and a recent study from TotalJobs.com supports the claim from above. That’s because, per the research, 22 percent of people meet their romantic partner at work. Compare that to 18 percent meeting through friends, 13 percent meeting online, and 10 percent finding each other on a night out.
While we don’t think you should base your career or company choice on the amount of attractive girls at the company, when it comes to finding love, per the above study, it sure seems as if work is where it’s at. And here we thought running into our life partner at a bar was going to happen — but, wow, just 10 percent of people have that happen to them!
There are a lot of horror stories — but also successful ones — about people dating coworkers, so, if you decide to take the plunge, just remember what you’re getting yourself into. Unlike other relationships you might have in your life, this one should move super slow and kept with a filter, separating personal from professional communication.
Sometimes it won’t lead to dating, but it seems people still like to fantasize about their colleagues. Our recent study showed social media vacation photos are especially popular.
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