Every spring a new article about office romances seems to come out. I just read one from Fox Business that claims office romances are on the rise among young professionals. The article suggests that workers of previous generations were less likely to engage in an office romance. Really? I think that just about everyone I know from my generation had a relationship with someone at work at least once. I don’t think office romance is a generational issue at its core but I do think that it makes perfect sense that millenials would be likely to be in an office romance and here’s why.
- The concept of a 9-to-5 job is gone. It used to be that when you left work you were pretty much done. It was rare that someone from the office would contact you after hours, on a weekend, or during a scheduled vacation. But email and texting changed all that. So people are in contact with their co-workers with greater frequency which means there is a greater opportunity to get to know them better.
- Social media fuels engagement. Decades ago it was harder to get to know colleagues on a personal level. We relied on lunch hours and trips to the water cooler or the line at the copy machine to strike up a personal conversation. Opportunities were scarcer. But now it’s not that unusual to friend a colleague on Facebook or IM them throughout the day. Consistent engagement builds a relationship and makes it easier to feel connected.
- Work spaces are more informal and collaborative. Newer companies like Google that attract young professionals have created more open work spaces to encourage collaboration. And some even design their spaces to feel more like a college dorm with recreational areas, etc. When the formalities of a traditional office are stripped away, it makes it easier to interact with people and get to know them better.
I think that if an office romance is going to happen it is going to happen…regardless of age, technology, or work environment. But no one should be surprised by the fact that millenials are engaging in office romances. They have grown up in a world where they are in contact with people with exceptional consistency and immediacy. The office romance is just one outcome of their cultural experience.