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Hospitality has emerged as being among the industries most likely to spawn office romances, according to new research.
A quarter (22.7%) of hospitality workers admit to having had an office romance, with 72.7% believing that it is acceptable to date someone that you work with.
This is according to the latest research from the UK’s leading independent job board, CV–Library , which comes just in time for Valentine’s Day.
The study, which surveyed 1,000 UK workers about their views on relationships in the workplace, found that those working in hospitality were some of the most likely (59.1%) to think that workplace relationships can be a good thing, with 27.3% admitting to fancying someone that they currently work with.
The top five industries where workers are most likely to have a workplace romance are:
- Recruitment (83.3%)
- Property (71.4%)
- Marketing (66.7%)
- IT (61.3%)
- Hospitality (59.1%)
Lee Biggins, founder and managing director of CV–Library, said: “Despite there often being taboos around office romances, our findings suggest that hospitality professionals are more up for workplace relationships than originally anticipated. While we often frown upon romance at work, it’s clear that it can be a nice boost for some employees, especially those working in hospitality, it seems!”
However, over two thirds (68.2%) of respondents working in hospitality do think workplace relationships can cause problems with 63.6% of professionals stating that they wouldn’t like to work with their significant other.
The top problems that people think they can cause include: potential break ups leading to awkward situations (33.3%), bringing your private life to the office (26.7%) and making co-workers feel awkward (20%).
Biggins added: “It’s clear that while some employees do value relationships in the workplace, there can potentially be some problems if not dealt with appropriately. Remember: it’s always best to remain professional at work so if you are looking for love around the office, try to keep it out of hours!”
