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Work-Life Benefits Key to Employee Satisfaction, Retention During Credit Crunch

Employees with Better Work-Life Balance are More Productive, Work Harder

8 February 2010 – Raleigh, NC – Workplace romances have often been seen as taboo, and a recent poll of working Americans commissioned by Workplace Options indicates that despite changing times, that may still be the perception. But some groups are more open to it than others.

Of working adults polled nationwide, one in four employees admitted to having once entered into a romantic relationship with a co-worker. Nearly nine out of 10 (88 percent) workers view public displays of affection in the workplace as unacceptable and 57 percent of those polled believe public displays of affection in the workplace should be banned.

The study also found that:

• When it comes to sharing the news of a workplace romance, the average worker plans to keep that information private (59 percent). However, it drops to 38 percent for 18-29-year-olds. Those who do share the news with someone are most likely to tell only close friends or family, but young adults are five times more likely than their older counterparts to post the news on Facebook for everyone to see.
• Half (51 percent) of younger workers aged 18-29 see a workplace romance as having positive effects, with the top positive effect being achievement of higher social or professional status at work. Older Americans disagree, with 79 percent arguing there are no positive effects from entering into a workplace relationship. If there was a positive effect, older workers agreed that it would be the relationship leading to a healthier work-life balance.
• Men and women have slightly different perspectives on the topic of workplace romances. While two thirds of women think that offices should ban public displays of affection, 53 percent of men think that it should be allowed.
• Men are also more willing to enter into a relationship with a co-worker (34 percent), supervisor (18 percent) or subordinate (21 percent) than women (27 percent, 13 percent, and 15 percent respectively).

"There is great debate on whether or not office romance is beneficial or debilitating to the people involved," said Dean Debnam, CEO of Workplace Options. "While romantic relationships between co-workers can put a strain on the couple for obvious reasons, it can also be viewed by others as inappropriate or distracting. At the same time, a healthy relationship between two individuals who work at the same company, but do not directly report to each other, can have positive effects on the emotional well-being of the couple. Unfortunately, in some situations, employees must choose between the success of their career, and the success of their relationship."

When faced with the choice of either ending a romantic workplace relationship or losing a job, survey respondents were torn. While 57 percent would opt to end the relationship in favor of keeping their job, 43 percent would lean toward quitting their job to save the relationship.

"Sometimes, love conquers all," added Debnam. "However, it is important to be mindful of the potential pitfalls of office romances. For one, romantic relationships in the workplace can lead to sexual harassment claims."

According to the poll, workers viewed the following as the most significant repercussions of entering into romantic relationships with co-workers:

• Damage to reputation (34 percent)
• Distractions at work/loss of productivity (20 percent)
• Loss of job (16 percent)
• Potential for sexual harassment charges (9 percent)

Of those polled, 20 percent of workers were aware of sexual harassment cases that resulted from romantic relationships in their office. Training on issues surrounding workplace relationships, such as sexual harassment policy and information, would help alleviate these problems or concerns according to 41 percent of respondents.

"Ultimately, employers should be very clear about what their organization’s expectations or standards are for relationships in the workplace," said Debnam. "Companies can be legally responsible for sexual harassment against their employees if reasonable steps are not taken to prevent and correct a problem. Prevention through adequate training is the best tool to eliminate sexual harassment in the workplace."

The national survey was conducted by the North Carolina firm of Public Policy Polling, January 29-31, 2010. The survey polled 623 working Americans and has a margin of error of +/- 3.9 percent. Full survey results can be viewed at www.workplaceoptions.com/polls.asp.

About Workplace Options

Workplace Options helps employees balance their work, family and personal life in order to make their lives healthier, easier and more productive. The company’s world-class Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) and work-life services provide information, resources, referrals and counselling on a variety of issues ranging from dependent care, legal and financial issues to mental health, stress management and addiction.

Drawing from an international network of accredited providers and professionals, Workplace Options is the world’s largest integrated EAP and work-life services provider. Service centres in London, Raleigh. N.C., Toronto and Dublin support more than 32 million employees in 20,000 organisations, across 170 countries. To learn more, visit www.workplaceoptions.com.

© 2010 Workplace Options, Inc. All rights reserved.