The Return to Office and an Spark it Sparked
When offices reopened after years of Covid closures, employees expected a routine of meetings, coffee breaks, and team lunches. What they failed to foresee was the sheer magnitude of the concealed and underrated rekindling romance aspect that would make a return too. After months and months of lifeless Zoom calls and Slack messages, once we returned to the office, the real thing was unbelievably refreshing. All of a sudden, the person you thought of as “just my colleague” was suddenly the person you were smiling at across the meeting table.
Why Workplace Connections Are Thriving Again
Humans are social creatures, and the office is the ideal environment. In the post-RTO (Return to Office) world, we are witnessing the office space once again become a social place in all senses of the word. With projects and team deliverables, brainstorming sessions, all the way to after hours informal get togethers, colleagues find it easy to form their natural bonds. Interactions in the office, unlike dating apps for example, happen organically through shared outcomes and common teams and experiences that lead to natural conversations.
For many, workplace romance grows over time as colleagues chat in the break room, get to know each other while working hard toward a consistent deadline, and celebrate together after tough jobs are completed. There is something real about seeing someone’s work style, humor, and kindness in-person.
The Appeal of a Known Environment
One of the reasons the workplace has become the new dating environment is comfort. People often find their prospective partners through familiar environments, school, people they know, the things they do and the office is no different. In a time where people are looking for certainty, it makes sense to create relationships in situations that bring you some level of comfort.
Additionally, the post pandemic environment has encouraged some changes. Many people have re-examined what they want in relationships, and emphasizes proximity. Why spend hours swiping on dating apps and talking to ‘people’ when there is ‘someone’ in the office down the hall?
Love and Workplace Wellness
Workplace romance has its implications. Boundaries and adherence to company policy and confidentiality must be respected. It is important then that your workplace relationship contains communication and respect to promote each individual’s career and relationship positively.
A lot has changed over the past decade and even contemporary workplaces have more mercy on delicate discussions about workplace affection, however maintaining some level of professionalism between 9 am to 5 pm is paramount, outside of work hour, without the work filter, it’s all possibilities.
Conclusion: Love Has Returned to the Workplace
In our post RTO world, we have shifted from connection via professional collaboration to connection through personal chemistry. While workplace romance has an ambiguous future, whether it’s mutual attraction that develops relationally
If you’re one who has exited a meeting with a little more joy on a Monday morning, or found yourself suggesting to linger longer in the breakroom, you might be experiencing shared connection and modern office romance. At a time when authentic connections are in demand, maybe the workplace is the place where you can find that connection?
