Pros and Cons of Relationships at Work

Friends, lovers, enemies.

Some standing side by side, others spreading gossip and conspiring. Expect plot twists, dramas, and dynamic action. A wide range of vivid characters guarantees an emotional rollercoaster. Want to take a ride?

No, that's not a snap of a new Netflix series.

It's your work life. With you as its main character.

Many may dream about setting crystal-clear boundaries between professional and private life. The mission often fails, though. Emotions are governed by their own laws. Anything can happen anywhere, including the workplace. You love, hate, and naturally build relationships with others.

Still, before you act on your feelings, it's important to think through the risks. And we're here to help.

At LiveCareer, we surveyed over 1,100 employees to examine:

Pros and cons of work friendships
Workplace friendships vs. friends outside of work
Office romance in numbers
Views on romantic relationships at work
Workplace enemies and frenemies
Holiday season in the workplace

But first, let's have a look at some previous studies on workplace relationships.

A 2022 SHRM research showed that workplace romance is on the rise. And 77% of those who have been in a workplace romance haven't disclosed the relationship to their employers.
A 2022 Gallup study found that globally, 3 in 10 employees strongly agree they have a best friend at work. The data reveals that they're significantly more likely to get more done in less time, have fun while at work, and innovate ideas more than others.
A Total Jobs survey conducted in November 2018 uncovered that 6 in 10 respondents feel they have a work enemy.

Keep reading to find out what our study revealed.

The pros and cons of work friendships

We spend more time with the people we work with than anyone else. It facilitates creating bonds. Our research proves it. A full 94% of participants claimed they had made close friends with someone they worked with. However, the percentage drops to 80% for respondents working in big companies (501+ employees).

Digging deeper, we asked about the positives of having friends at work. According to the surveyed, they included:

Increased job satisfaction – 83%
Improved workplace communication – 83%
Higher sense of trust in the workplace – 81%
Greater productivity – 81%
Enhanced collaboration – 81%

Still, our survey takers weren't unanimous:

Participants with no college degree were more skeptical about the positive sides of workplace friendships than others. 71% believed that having friends at work increased job satisfaction, and 69% that it improved workplace communication.
72% of the youngest respondents (aged 25 or less) agreed having friends at work could increase job satisfaction. Hey, where's your idealism, guys? Or maybe it's just a lack of work experience?

Let's change perspective and focus on the negatives now. According to respondents, the disadvantages of being close to people from work were:

Difficulty in maintaining a work-life balance – 79%
Less constructive feedback between colleagues – 77%
Difficulty in protecting your privacy – 75%
Distractions impacting productivity – 74%

Education industry employees considered less constructive feedback (77%) and possible distractions (89%) as even more troublesome.

The question is if any analysis of the pros and cons can discourage us from making workplace friendships. As we're human beings, we find it doubtful, to put it mildly.

Workplace friendships vs. friends outside of work

Friends will be friends, won't they?

Let's find out what our respondents thought about the life span of friendships. We asked which friendships were more lasting, those at work or those outside of work.

For 41% of participants, workplace friendships were equally lasting as friendships outside of work.
32% of survey takers considered workplace friendships more lasting than friendships outside of work. Conversely, 27% believed the opposite and viewed workplace friendships as less lasting than friendships outside of work.

Our helpful respondents were also asked what, in their opinion, would be most likely to put an end to a workplace friendship. The answers were the following [*they could choose two options at most]:

Workplace gossip – 32%
Competition – 26%
Lack of trust – 24%
Promotion of a friend – 23%
Selfishness – 22%
Jealousy – 20%
Unequal treatment by an employer – 15%
Other – 3%

Other findings to mention here:

Almost 9 in 10 (88%) survey takers socialized with their colleagues outside of work.
87% declared that it was likely or very likely that they'ld keep in touch with their current colleagues if they changed their job.

Workplace relationships are a matter of great importance, as you can see. What's more, friendship is often the first step to a romantic relationship. Keep on reading to find out more about office romance.

Office romance in numbers

Work is fertile soil for relationships to blossom. Just have a look at the statistics obtained from our study:

75% of research participants declared they had a romantic relationship with someone from their work.
[education: 93% vs. business and finance: 67%]
70% had flirted with a colleague.
[education: 86% vs. health care: 61%]
59% had had sex with a colleague.
[education: 75% vs. software/IT: 47%]
67% knew someone who had cheated on a partner with a colleague.
[education: 87% vs. software/IT: 60%]
73% knew someone who had met their spouse in the workplace.
[education: 82% vs. health care—66%]

Happily ever after in the workplace is possible. But how do other workers feel about office romance? Let's check it out.

Views on romantic relationships at work

There's always some controversy around workplace romance. Still, most survey takers didn't perceive it all that negatively. Just have a look:

Almost 8 in 10 (78%) respondents believed that you could find true love in the workplace. Those with no college degree were the only demographic group with a noticeably less optimistic approach: only 46% agreed.
76% of the surveyed declared they were comfortable with their colleagues being romantically involved. Employees in the education industry were even more supportive of the love relationships of their colleagues: 86% felt perfectly fine with them. Conversely, only 69% of software/IT workers claimed the same.
The vast majority of participants claimed there was nothing wrong with dating your colleagues (76%) or your manager (75%). Interestingly, healthcare industry workers were less comfortable with the idea of dating their colleagues (60%). Also, dating their manager wouldn't bother as many as 85% of participants employed in manufacturing.

Love is sweet, love can make you fly, and all you need is love. True.

Things look a bit different when Cupid's arrow hits your heart at work. Participants shared their views on possible negative consequences of workplace romance.

75% of the surveyed believed workplace romance might lead to favoritism.
74% claimed being romantically involved with someone at work could cause productivity loss.
73% viewed romantic relationships in the workplace as unprofessional.

So although many people get involved in romantic relationships at work they're aware of the negatives. 8 in 10 participants declared they'd consider changing a job if they started a romantic relationship with someone they work with.

Still, if you don't want either to quit a job or a relationship, be sure always to keep it professional. Actions speak louder than words. And they can shut all the bad mouths around you.

Time to focus on to work enemies now.

Workplace enemies and frenemies

At work, you can meet a true friend and love, but also an enemy or a frenemy. The last option seems the worst, as you never know if someone is a friend or foe. Let's take a closer look.

74% of respondents claimed they had had an enemy at work. The percentage is even higher (92%) in the answers given by education industry workers.

When asked about the consequences of having a work enemy, participants named:

Stress – 81%
Decreased overall job satisfaction – 77%
Decreased productivity – 75%
Negative influence on your personal life – 74%

Amy Gallo, the author of "Getting Along: How to Work with Anyone (Even Difficult People)," explains how we typically process conflicts at work.

Our brain perceives conflict as a threat, and our brain doesn't do a good job of distinguishing between a small threat, like someone rolling their eyes at us, and a big threat, like being chased down by a bear. We often don't make good choices in those moments because, in fight or flight mode, there are really two options: I can shut down, or I can be aggressive. The goal, then, is to try to calm the brain down so that it doesn't feel threatened.

From that perspective, it's hard not to consider having work enemies as a serious problem. A full 78% of participants declared they'd consider changing a job if they had a work enemy.

Some more research findings to mention here:

Almost 8 in 10 (79%) survey takers believed that at work, everyone thought mainly of themselves.
77% claimed that people often only pretended to be friends.
72% were convinced that at work, no one could be trusted.

What's noteworthy, respondents with the greatest work experience (over 11 years) were less suspicious about workplace relationships than other demographic groups. Less than half (49%) believed that at work, no one could be trusted. Also, 65% agreed that people only pretended to be friends. The more you experience, the wiser you become? Hopefully.

When it comes to setting boundaries between professional and private life, 78% of participants agreed that we should separate these two areas. What's more, 80% of survey takers claimed that becoming too close with coworkers prevented a healthy work-life balance.

On the one hand, the workplace can be a treasure chest of valuable people and precious relationships. On the other, you may also find a wolf in sheep's clothing there. The key is to strike a balance between going too emotional and too skeptical about relationships with your colleagues. Better safe than sorry.

On a positive note, no problem is unsolvable.

During our working life, we'll spend more time with our colleagues than with our own family. So it makes sense to try treating our colleagues as if they were family – we can't choose them, but we can choose how we deal with them. Conflicts are part of every relationship we have. But it's a relief to remember they're often solvable, too.
-Total Jobs, study on work enemies

Maybe it's high time to let go? A time for forgiving and for forgetting. After all, Christmas is love, Christmas is peace. And it's almost here!

Holiday season in the workplace

Ho! Ho! Ho! Can you feel the holidays coming?

Festive decorations, endless special offers in the shops, and Wham reminding us once again what happened last Christmas. (If there wasn't anyone who hadn't known yet, right?)

This magic spirit not only makes us spend more, but primarily warms hearts and provokes thought. It seems that during the holiday season, people are more friendly to each other. 86% of our research participants observed it at their work. If Ebenezer Scrooge could change from a classic supervillain to a kind-hearted man, why can't we?

Cheerfulness is contagious. Work-wise, it increases our productivity, motivation, and overall job satisfaction. No surprise that many employers do their best to spread the festive mood. Let's find out how employees feel about it.

We asked respondents a few questions about the holiday season in their workplace. It turned out that:

92% of respondents enjoyed office Christmas parties, 89% liked festive decorations, and 87% wore Christmas jumpers during the holiday season.

Interestingly, employees of big companies (501+) were noticeably less enthusiastic about office Christmas parties (79%), decorations (73%), and holiday jumpers (78%).

Let's move on to Christmas presents.

88% of participants gave Christmas presents to their colleagues.
87% received Christmas presents from their colleagues.
88% gave a Christmas present to their employer.
87% received a Christmas present from their employer.

What's more, 86% of respondents believed their employer would pay them a Christmas bonus this year. It seems that Santa Claus is the most likely to visit the education sector – as many as a full 96% of survey takers working in that industry declared they expected a holiday bonus.

Okay, nothing new, we all want some extra cash.

But—

All Mariah Carey wants for Christmas is you.

There's no better way to get into the festive mood than by listening to Christmas songs. Joyful lyrics and jingling bells make us feel relaxed and happy. They're a sure-cure for any worries. After all, can anyone be sad, knowing that Santa Claus is coming to town?

No surprise that as many as a full 90% of respondents claimed they liked listening to Christmas songs in the workplace. Let's see what's on their very merry playlist.

Here are the top 10 songs chosen by respondents as their favorite in the ho-ho-holiday season:

1st – "Jingle Bell Rock" by Bobby Helms
2nd – "White Christmas" by Bing Crosby
3rd – "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" by John Lennon & Yoko Ono
4th – "Santa Claus is coming to town" by the Jackson 5
5th – "All I want for Christmas is you" by Mariah Carey
6th – "Winter wonderland" by Bing Crosby
7th – "Rockin' around the Christmas tree" by Brenda Lee
8th – "Last Christmas" by Wham
9th – "Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!" by Dean Martin
10th – "It's the most wonderful time of the year" by Andy Williams

For many, Christmas is indeed the most wonderful time of the year. Special in many ways, celebrated both by the religious and the non-religious, it always reminds us about one important thing. People go first.

Relationships are all that matters. Whether built at or outside work.

So—

Don't let your inner Grinch steal Christmas. Celebrate this magical time with your beloved ones, enjoy the festive atmosphere, and… let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

Key takeaways

A few words before you go. Let's sum up what LiveCareer's study on workplace relationships revealed.

A full 94% of participants claimed they had made close friends with someone they worked with.
According to respondents, workplace gossip (32%), competition (26%), and lack of trust (24%) were most likely to put an end to workplace friendships.
75% of the surveyed declared they had a romantic relationship with someone from their work.
The vast majority of participants claimed there was nothing wrong with dating your colleagues (76%) or your manager (75%).
8 in 10 respondents declared they would consider changing a job if they started a romantic relationship with someone they work with.
74% of survey takers claimed they had had an enemy in their workplace.
92% of respondents enjoyed office Christmas parties, 89% liked festive decorations, and 87% wore Christmas jumpers during the holiday season.

Methodology

The above-presented findings were obtained by surveying 1115 respondents online via a bespoke polling tool. They were asked questions about various workplace relationships and their influence on our private life. These included yes/no questions, scale-based questions relating to levels of agreement with a statement, questions that permitted the selection of multiple options from a list of potential answers, and a question that allowed open responses. All respondents included in the study passed an attention-check question.

Limitations

The data presented relies on self-reports from a randomized group of respondents. Each person who took our survey read and responded to each question without any research administration or interference. There are many potential issues with self-reported data like selective memory, exaggeration, attribution, or telescoping. Some questions and responses have been rephrased or condensed for clarity and ease of understanding for readers.

Fair use statement

Want to share the findings of our research? Go ahead. Feel free to use our images and information wherever you wish. Just link back to this page, please—it will let other readers get deeper into the topic. Additionally, remember to use this content exclusively for non-commercial purposes.