The return to the office may be slow, but workplace romance is still thriving.
According to a survey by Resume Builder that assessed the prevalence of remote office romance, 33% of the group (1,250 self-identified remote workers) said they had started a romantic relationship with someone they met remotely.
“Remote work is still a place where people start romantic relationships,” Resume Builder said in a blog post about the survey, conducted in early February.
The survey included romances with other colleagues, clients or investors. Colleagues came up with 23%. Of those, 45% fell between a manager and a direct report, the blog post added.
Virtual workplaces represent a huge cultural shift, and that includes how workers experience harassment — the virtual workplace could be less formal in tone if fewer people are present to witness uncomfortable situations, according to The New York Times.
“Since the pandemic began, employees have felt that online environments are the Wild West, where traditional rules don’t apply,” a DEI expert told the outlet in 2021.
Resume Builder noted the problem in the survey, saying more women than men reported experiencing sexual harassment in a remote setting.
“Unfortunately, working remotely can give bad actors more opportunity or confidence to sexually harass other employees,” Stacie Haller, chief career advisor at Resume Builder, said in the post.
More men in the survey reported starting a relationship at work, 41% versus 25%.
The survey focused on people who had worked remotely for at least six months in the past three years.