Engineers, Builders and Bankers are the industries most likely to meet a romantic partner in the workplace, according to new research.
The survey of 1,000 UK workers by Adzuna reveals the industries and regions with a taste for romance at work. Workers within Engineering & Construction top the list for mixing work and pleasure, with 46% saying they met their current beau in the workplace. Banking & Capital Markets workers followed closely behind, with 41% of respondents in this area meeting through the office, while Mining & Metals workers came in third place at 38%.
At the bottom of the list, only 13% of Government & Public Services employees surveyed met their current partner at work, while Insurance professionals (16%) also lagged behind. This comes despite high levels of office flings in these industries: 70% of Government & Public Services professionals and 63% of Insurers reported a past romantic liaison at work, perhaps suggesting a more casual attitude to amorous relationships in these sectors.
Meanwhile, the Transport and Logistics industry claims the highest amount of workplace relationships, with 84% reporting a past fling with a colleague, followed by the 81% of Healthcare professionals who have had an office romance. Manufacturing workers were most cautious about dating at work, with just 53% reporting a past relationship within the workplace.
Out of hours romance
The survey reveals that long hours and away days can often allow office romances to blossom. Almost a quarter (24%) of liaisons started at a work excursion, while 22% were caused by working late hours together in the office. Work drinks (18%) and the office Christmas party (16%) also proved conducive to office flings. But this is not always the case: a fifth of those (22%) who had a romantic relationship with a colleague said they simply grew close over time.
Overall, 28% of the people surveyed met their current partner at work, with the office proving by far the most common place to meet a romantic partner and success rates nearly double that of meeting somebody online (15%). Nearly three-quarters of respondents recognise this opportunity, with 73% open to the idea of dating a colleague.
Life partner or fleeting fling?
Of course, the downside of dating at work is the fall-out from a failed relationship can be greater. Nearly a third of workplace liaisons (30%) don’t make it past the 6-month mark, including 8% that are simply one-night stands, and 7% flings that last less than a month.
But for those relationships that survive the initial awkwardness, the risk may be worth the reward, with 74% of workers who have a fling at work eventually getting married or having children together.
North East is top region for work romances
Breaking down the data by region, the North East and South West are home to the greatest number of office romances, with 74% of workers in both areas admitting to a previous work-based liaison. These regions are closely followed by the East Midlands (71%) and the West Midlands (70%).
Office flings in the North East are also most likely to lead to something serious, with nearly nine in ten (86%) workplace beaus saying their love affair resulted in marriage or children.
By comparison, workplace liaisons in Yorkshire & Humber were least likely to be successful over the long-term, with only 59% leading to marriage or children.
1 in 7 Brits fantasise about dating their boss
Four in ten workers (42%) confess to fantasising about somebody in their workplace, with 67% of these saying this is someone in a higher position than themselves and a third of these (33%) crushing on their boss. Power is often a factor in the allure, with nearly half of those who fantasise about somebody superior (43%) saying this contributes to the appeal.
And the attraction doesn’t stop at mere fantasy: of those UK workers who have had a in-office romantic liaison. 41% have dated a senior colleague and 22%, their boss.
Furthermore, a third of those who had a romantic fling at work (31%) said that it helped them get ahead in their career, suggesting worrying levels of unprofessionalism and possible bias towards workers who take part in office liaisons.
Table 1: Office romances – by industry
| Industry | Proportion of workers who met their current partner at work | Proportion of workers who have had a romantic liaison at work |
| Engineering & Construction | 46% | 64% |
| Banking & Capital Markets | 41% | 62% |
| Mining & Metals | 38% | 79% |
| Media & Entertainment | 36% | 55% |
| Oil & Gas | 36% | 72% |
| Power & Utilities | 34% | 73% |
| Manufacturing | 33% | 53% |
| Retail & Consumer | 33% | 60% |
| Telecomms | 32% | 59% |
| Automotive | 31% | 64% |
| Chemicals | 30% | 62% |
| Healthcare | 30% | 81% |
| Business Services | 29% | 76% |
| Private Equity | 29% | 58% |
| Aerospace & Defense | 28% | 63% |
| Pharmaceutical & Life Sciences | 28% | 59% |
| Transport & Logistics | 28% | 84% |
| Other | 28% | 58% |
| Education | 27% | 65% |
| Technology | 27% | 65% |
| Capital Projects & Infrastructure | 24% | 76% |
| Asset Management | 22% | 65% |
| Financial Services | 22% | 76% |
| Forest, Paper & Packaging | 22% | 56% |
| Charities | 21% | 69% |
| Hospitality & Leisure | 21% | 68% |
| Real Estate | 17% | 58% |
| Insurance | 16% | 63% |
| Government & Public Services | 13% | 70% |
Table 2: Office romances – by region
| Region | Proportion of workers who have had a romantic liaison at work | Proportion of office romances that have led to marriage or children |
| North East | 74% | 86% |
| South West | 74% | 85% |
| East Midlands | 71% | 64% |
| West Midlands | 70% | 77% |
| North West | 68% | 77% |
| Scotland | 68% | 64% |
| Wales | 68% | 83% |
| Yorkshire & Humber | 65% | 59% |
| London | 63% | 81% |
| South East | 61% | 62% |
| Northern Ireland | 61% | 78% |
| East Anglia | 53% | 75% |
