From heart-shaped candies to singing telegrams, Valentine's Day makes most offices a whole lot more romantic than they usually are. But according to several polls, love is likely already wafting in and out of cubicles and corridors.
More than one in 10 people say they've "made love" at their workplace, while many more say they've thought about it, according to a new survey from job search site Glassdoor.com. The survey asked 1,000 people about how their love and work lives mix and 37 percent reported having been involved romantically with someone they work with.
It seems that the trend of inter-office canoodling holds true across the pond. A recent UK poll found roughly the same percentage of employees across the Atlantic get down to business while at their place of business. But Yanks tend to be a little bit more irreverent: Of those who admitted to having sex at work in the U.S., Glassdoor found 22 percent did so in their boss's office compared to just 5 percent in the UK. But copulation in the conference room happens at about the same rate in both countries; 18 percent in the US compared to 14 percent in the UK.
Though it's relatively common, the merits of office romance may be up for debate. The majority of those polled said that most office relationships end with a noticeable sense of "awkwardness" between the parties involved, even though 51 percent also say that being in one isn't a reason to be ashamed. In addition, because office romances can affect work performance, many think they should be avoided. Entrepreneur and reality TV star Rob Dyrdek told The Huffington Post last year that "office romances are a recipe for disaster."
The more popular opinion, however, seems to be that love will ultimately conquer all, even the obstacles involved in navigating a workplace romance. JJ Ramberg, the host of MSNBC's Your Business said last year that office affairs "are inevitable" while billionaire and philanthropist Richard Branson has added championing workplace romances to his long-list of worthy causes.
"Employees falling in love is all part of the adventure, and should be celebrated," Branson wrote in an op-ed earlier this month.
He may have a point. A survey from CareerBuilder.com and Harris Interactive found that 31 percent of employees say courting their coworker ultimately led to marriage.