One in three Oz workers ‘get intimate with colleague’

MELBOURNE - A survey on Australian workers has found that almost one in three have had an intimate relationship with a colleague.

Of the 941 surveyed by job website CareerOne.com.au, 35 per cent described the office romance as short term, and 31 per cent as long term, with only five per cent of relationships ending up in marriage.

It found more than a third had been “intimate” with a colleague in their actual workplace and six per cent had been caught getting some office action.

CareerOne.com.au editor Kate Southam said while love born in the workplace can be fruitful, the chances of things going sour were much greater.

She suggested separating work and pleasure until the relationship proved itself to be a sure thing in order to avoid sticky situations.

“Common stresses, goals and challenges can bring people together, but it doesn’t mean they will stay that way,” News.com.au quoted Southam as saying.

“If you meet a colleague on a joint project and the attraction is instant, test it over time before outing yourselves at work.

“That is important because sometimes office romances fade, making for potentially awkward situations at work.

“If the break-up is managed poorly, this can irritate co-workers or reflect badly,” she said.

But if things do go well, Southam warned it was important to separate work and home life.

“Your colleagues do not want to hear you snipe at each other, nor do they want to see you being outwardly affectionate,” she added. (ANI)